With inflation still near 40-year highs, the Fed's challenge of navigating a soft landing is becoming ever more complicated as it executes a highly sensitive mission that includes increasing benchmark interest rates this summer. Some investors are saying that the ship has already sailed, and the only way to cool the economy is with more aggressive monetary policy or with a dramatic economic decline. Can confidence in the economy and markets be restored or should investors brace for prolonged pain and a hard landing?

A string of economic shocks, led by high inflation, have rattled global markets and investors alike. High profile names in finance say they are bracing for a “hurricane” and are calling “the confluence of shocks to the system unprecedented.” So where are investors finding opportunities in this current environment? Is it time to sit on the sidelines or are there places to put capital to work? How long will the downturn last and where are some of the biggest names in investing searching for signs of a bottom?

Private debt has been one of the biggest winners of the last decade and has grown tenfold, with direct lending, distressed debt, and venture debt leading the financing structures. While many see this sector as more insulated from the recent volatility, rising rates, tightening conditions, and recession calls are cause for questioning where we are in this cycle. Regulators and industry watchdogs have long flagged concerns about the risks that lurk within the often-opaque market but its resilience in the last few years has many investors still seeing large growth pockets.

The drop in valuations of public companies, led by technology, continues to make it harder for private startups to justify their once lofty price tags. VC firms are slowing their commitments to new deals, IPO activity dropped dramatically in the first half of the year, and SPAC issuers continue to struggle to find a match. But has the current reckoning just brought the marketplace down to more realistic levels? Will an era of easy money ending lead to better due diligence or change the way investors look to allocate capital across privates?

Amid a slew of macroeconomic headwinds, flows into sustainable funds fared better than the broader market this year, suggesting investors may be more likely to stay the course during tough times. At this point, investors collectively understand the need to maximize purpose and profits to foster a more sustainable future, however more data standardization and regulation is needed. Why is ESG becoming so politicized in the US and is that deterring investment? From the perspectives of the big money managers & those focused solely in the ESG space, we’ll address how today’s investors are managing risk, bolstering climate resilience, and putting money to work amid the global energy transition.

Institutional adoption of crypto has been slow, but we've seen many shops and notable investors warm to it as a burgeoning asset class in the last few years. However, the most recent rout has led to further declines in toke and broader liquidity events and called into question its place in portfolios and the broader investment landscape. What will it take to restore confidence in digital assets? Will further regulation help or hurt the sector? And whether it be tokens, blockchain technology, or broader DeFi, where do investors see bright spots and the smart money moving?