BlackRock’s private credit fund met less than 40% of redemption requests, underscoring the podcast’s central point that illiquidity is built into the product rather than a market malfunction.
Robert Armstrong said retail investors can handle some lockups if terms are clear, but warned that private funds’ infrequent pricing gives managers room to overstate asset values until investors test them by asking for cash.
The discussion noted most current buyers are wealthy clients able to commit about $100,000, while alternative asset managers are increasingly eyeing far larger retail pools such as US 401(k) savings.
Institutional demand has not collapsed despite recent alarms from the FSB and ECB, partly because investors still chase an estimated 100-200 basis point premium and smoother-looking portfolio returns.
Armstrong argued the bigger hurdle to wider retail access is cost: many products charge roughly 1.25% a year, making fees and disclosure more important than blanket bans.