Private equity funds are facing scrutiny for opaque valuation practices, particularly regarding the marking up investments on the secondary market at large discounts and then immediately increasing their reported values. The article highlights how some funds, like Partners Group Private Equity (Master Fund), list cost figures in lengthy footnotes that do not align with the number of disclosed investments, making it difficult for investors to verify markups. This practice has led to concerns about transparency and potential manipulation, especially when gains reach 1,000% in a single day. In contrast, other funds such as Ares Private Markets Fund disclose cost figures directly in the main tables, allowing for easier comparison. The article notes that Partners Group has acknowledged the issue and plans to include cost figures in the main investment table in future reports. The controversy is amplified by recent regulatory interest, including a request from Rep. Elise Stefanik for the SEC to investigate Harvard’s private-equity valuation methods.

In July, Cboe Canada reported a 12.7% market share and saw record trading volume with 64.4 million shares traded, averaging 3.4 million per day, representing 87% conditional market share. Three new ETFs—QDAY, SDAY, and CDAY—were launched by Hamilton ETFs, bringing the total number of ETFs on the exchange to 248, with 32 issuers and 123 Canadian Depository Receipts (CDRs). Sector performance showed significant growth, including Communications (+120% in ADV), Consumer Cyclical (+19%), Consumer Non-cyclical (+49%), and Technology (+261%). Large market cap average daily volume increased by 26% month-over-month. Effective September 30, 2025, Cboe Canada will introduce a 'Primary Peg' order type in its NEO-L and NEO-N trading books, allowing buy and sell orders to peg to or away from the Protected National Best Bid (PNBB) or Protected National Best Offer (PNBO), with optional price caps and offset amounts. The order type supports non-aggressive offsets and will reprice when market conditions change.

U.S. stocks ended higher on August 8, 2025, with the Nasdaq achieving its 18th record closing high of the year, driven by strong performance in technology-related shares including Apple and Expedia. The S&P 500 and Dow Jones also posted gains, with the Nasdaq up 3.9% for the week and the S&P 500 rising 2.4%. Investor optimism is fueled by expectations of potential interest rate cuts from the Federal Reserve, with the CME FedWatch Tool showing an 89.4% probability of at least a 25 basis point cut in September, up from 80.3% a week prior. This sentiment is supported by weaker economic data and the recent appointment of Stephen Miran, a Trump-aligned economic adviser, to a short-term Federal Reserve board seat. Tariff policies, particularly Trump's 50% tariff hike on Indian exports, are also influencing market dynamics. Gilead Sciences saw an 8.3% jump after raising its full-year financial outlook. The monthly U.S. consumer price index report is scheduled for Tuesday, and investors are closely watching U.S.-India trade relations following India's announcement of new arms and aircraft purchases. Overall, tech stocks remain a dominant holding, with Apple seeing its largest weekly gain since 2020 and Expedia rising after raising its annual revenue forecast.

Private equity firms including Apollo, Blackstone, The Carlyle Group, and Hamilton Lane are celebrating the U.S. executive order expanding 401(k) access to alternative assets like private equity. The move is seen as opening a $12 trillion market, with firms emphasizing the potential for target-date funds and new products such as evergreen funds and ETFs with liquidity features. In the beverage sector, private equity investors including Butterfly Equity, Brynwood Partners, and Gryphon Investors are actively pursuing deals, with examples like Azalea Capital's investment in Pickle Juice and Boyne Capital's investment in Blue Monkey Beverages. Additionally, KKR has recapitalized DentalXChange, a U.S. dental revenue cycle management company, to expand employee equity ownership. The first half of 2025 saw 18 healthcare megadeals, down from 27 in the same period last year, including major transactions such as Sanofi’s $9.1 billion acquisition of Blueprint Medicines and GSK’s over $1 billion acquisition of IDRx.

Hamilton Lane’s co-CEO, Juan Delgado-Moreira, asserts that NAV uplifts for evergreen private markets funds are a 'market standard,' citing industry practices and bank guidance on fee structures for new funds.