Core Insights - The annual financial services conference hosted by Goldman Sachs is gathering major banking figures, highlighting the significance of the event in the industry [1] - Aries Management's stock rose approximately 7% following its inclusion in the S&P 500, indicating positive market reception and investor confidence [1][2] Company Performance - Aries Management experienced a significant milestone with its S&P 500 inclusion, reflecting its growth and success over the past three decades [3][4] - The company has shown resilience in the face of recent high-profile bankruptcies in the private credit space, with a strong recovery in stock performance [4] Market Dynamics - The alternative investment landscape is described as sizable, scaled, global, and growing, suggesting a robust environment for private equity and credit [4] - Recent incidents of fraud and credit challenges in the market were viewed as isolated events rather than indicative of systemic issues, with low non-accrual rates reported by large managers [5][6] Regulatory Environment - The Bank of England is initiating stress tests for private equity and private credit, with Aries Management participating, indicating a proactive approach to risk management in the industry [7] - There is ongoing dialogue between private market participants and regulators in the US, emphasizing the importance of understanding the relationship between private and public markets [8] Industry Outlook - The stress testing process by the Bank of England is anticipated to benefit the industry by demonstrating the critical role of private markets in modern capital markets [9] - Private markets are seen as essential for driving growth in the middle market economy and mitigating volatility in liquid markets [9]

Ares Management Conference Call Summary Company Overview - **Company**: Ares Management (NYSE: ARES) - **Assets Under Management**: Approximately $600 billion - **Core Expertise**: Credit, real assets, secondaries, and private equity - **2025 Performance**: Sustained industry-leading growth momentum with record fundraising, strong deployment, and investment performance [1][5][12] Key Industry Insights Private Credit Market - **Market Sentiment**: Investors are moving away from anxiety regarding private credit, supported by strong fundamentals [5][6] - **Portfolio Performance**: Ares credit portfolios are large, diversified, with non-accrual rates near historic lows; company-level cash flow growing at 10%-12% annually [7] - **Market Strength**: Deployment in Q4 is strong, with pipelines at or near record levels [7][12] Fundraising Dynamics - **2025 Fundraising**: On track for a record year, exceeding $90 billion, with strong demand from institutional and wealth channels [12][13] - **2026 Outlook**: Anticipated strong demand for private credit, with larger flagship funds expected to enter the market [14] Alternative Credit Opportunities - **ABF Strategies**: Ares focuses on both investment-grade (IG) and non-rated asset-backed finance (ABF), with non-rated strategies being more profitable [15][17] - **Market Position**: Ares has raised three of the four largest ABF funds, indicating strong market presence [16] Deployment and Market Activity - **Deployment Overview**: Q3 saw over $40 billion deployed; Q4 is expected to continue this momentum across various segments, including infrastructure and real estate credit [21][22] - **Market Segmentation**: Deployment is broad-based, indicating overall market health, with strong opportunities in asset-backed finance and opportunistic credit [22] Wealth Channel Growth - **Wealth AUM Target**: Increased target to $125 billion by 2028, with consistent quarterly inflows of about $4 billion [23][24] - **Product Evolution**: Introduction of new funds in core infrastructure and sports/media, with ongoing demand for geography-specific funds [25] Direct Lending Insights - **Advisor Demand**: Financial advisors are focusing on durable yield from various asset classes, not solely private credit [26][28] - **Market Dynamics**: Demand for private credit remains stable despite changing interest rates, driven by excess return generation [29] International Market Dynamics - **Distribution Landscape**: About 40% of wealth products come from outside the U.S., with a more fragmented and less concentrated market in Europe and Asia-Pacific [30][33] Strategic Partnerships and Growth - **Partnership Approach**: Ares is cautious about partnerships with traditional managers, focusing on delivering differentiated outcomes for clients [38][39] - **401(k) Market Potential**: Ares supports the inclusion of alternative assets in defined contribution plans but emphasizes the need for investor suitability and fiduciary duty considerations [40][42] Acquisition and Integration - **GCP Acquisition**: Integration is progressing well, with expectations for margin expansion as duplicative infrastructure costs decrease [47][48] - **Secondaries Market Growth**: Ares is expanding into infra secondaries, with significant growth expected in the coming years [49][51] Financial Outlook - **FRE Margin Guidance**: Expected margin expansion in 2026 due to successful fundraising and deployment [54][56] - **Capital Management Strategy**: Ares is considering various options for redeploying free cash flow, including dividends, buybacks, and investments in growth [59][61] Conclusion - Ares Management is positioned for continued growth in the alternative asset management space, with strong fundamentals in private credit, a robust fundraising outlook, and strategic expansion into new markets and product offerings.

Core Viewpoint - Ares Management is set to join the S&P 500 index on December 11, leading to expectations of passive investment inflows, which has resulted in a pre-market stock price increase of over 7% to $176.19 [1] Group 1: Company Overview - Ares Management operates across several key sectors, including private credit, private equity, real estate, and secondary market investments [1] - Approximately 80% of Ares Management's assets under management come from institutional investors such as pension funds and insurance companies, while 20% are from high-net-worth individuals [1] Group 2: Asset Management Growth - As of the end of 2024, Ares Management's global platform is expected to manage over $525 billion in assets, with projections to increase to $595.7 billion by September 2025 [1]

Core Viewpoint - Ares Management is set to join the S&P 500 index on December 11, leading to expectations of passive investment inflows, as indicated by S&P Dow Jones Indices [1] Group 1: Company Overview - Ares Management operates across several key sectors, including private credit, private equity, real estate, and secondary market investments [1] - Approximately 80% of Ares Management's assets under management come from institutional investors such as pension funds and insurance companies, while 20% are from high-net-worth individuals [1] Group 2: Asset Management Growth - As of the end of 2024, Ares Management's global platform is expected to manage over $525 billion in assets [1] - By September 2025, this figure is projected to increase to $595.7 billion [1]

Core Viewpoint - Ares Management is set to join the S&P 500 index on December 11, leading to expectations of passive investment inflows, which has resulted in a pre-market stock price increase of over 7% to $176.19 [1] Company Overview - Ares Management operates across several key sectors, including private credit, private equity, real estate, and secondary market investments [1] - Approximately 80% of the company's assets under management come from institutional investors such as pension funds and insurance companies, while 20% are from high-net-worth individuals [1] Asset Management Growth - As of the end of 2024, Ares Management's global platform is expected to manage over $525 billion in assets, with projections to increase to $595.7 billion by September 2025 [1]

Market Overview - U.S. stock futures showed volatility, fluctuating between gains and losses after declines on Monday, with major benchmark indices futures up [1] - The Federal Open Market Committee's two-day meeting is underway, with a focus on a potential rate cut decision expected tomorrow [1] - The 10-year Treasury bond yield is at 4.15%, while the two-year bond yield is at 3.58%, with an 89.4% likelihood of a rate cut in December according to CME Group's FedWatch tool [1] Futures Performance - Dow Jones futures increased by 0.04%, S&P 500 by 0.06%, and Nasdaq 100 by 0.02%, while Russell 2000 decreased by 0.06% [2] - The SPDR S&P 500 ETF Trust (SPY) rose by 0.063% to $684.06, and Invesco QQQ Trust ETF (QQQ) increased by 0.016% to $624.38 in premarket trading [2] Stocks in Focus - Ares Management Corp. (ARES) surged by 8.71% after being announced for inclusion in the S&P 500 index effective December 11 [6] - Nvidia Corp. (NVDA) increased by 1.57% following confirmation from President Trump that NVDA can ship H200 chips to approved customers in China and other countries [6] - Toll Brothers Inc. (TOL) fell by 3.49% after reporting mixed financial results for Q4 of fiscal 2025 [6] - Tesla Inc. (TSLA) declined by 0.94% after Morgan Stanley downgraded it to equal-weight due to high valuation concerns [6] - Paramount Skydance Corp. (PSKY) rose by 1.72% after launching a $30 per share tender offer to acquire Warner Bros. Discovery Inc. (WBD), valuing it at $108.4 billion [13] Economic Insights - The Comerica Economic Weekly report indicates a cooling economy and anticipates a rate reduction of a quarter percentage point at the FOMC's final meeting of the year [10] - The report highlights a weaker job market with a decline in private payrolls and rising job cuts, alongside persistent inflation pressures from food and energy costs [12]

Market Overview - U.S. stock futures showed volatility, fluctuating between gains and losses after declines on Monday, with major benchmark indices futures up [1] - The Federal Open Market Committee's two-day meeting is underway, with a focus on a potential rate cut decision expected tomorrow [1] - The 10-year Treasury bond yield is at 4.15%, while the two-year bond yield is at 3.58%, with an 89.4% likelihood of a rate cut during the December meeting according to CME Group's FedWatch tool [1] Futures Performance - Dow Jones futures increased by 0.04%, S&P 500 by 0.06%, and Nasdaq 100 by 0.02%, while Russell 2000 decreased by 0.06% [2] - SPDR S&P 500 ETF Trust (NYSE:SPY) rose by 0.063% to $684.06, and Invesco QQQ Trust ETF (NASDAQ:QQQ) increased by 0.016% to $624.38 in premarket trading [2] Stocks in Focus - Ares Management Corp. (NYSE:ARES) surged by 8.71% after being announced for inclusion in the S&P 500 index effective December 11 [6] - Nvidia Corp. (NASDAQ:NVDA) rose by 1.57% following confirmation from President Trump that NVDA can ship H200 chips to approved customers in China and other countries [6] - Toll Brothers Inc. (NYSE:TOL) fell by 3.49% after reporting mixed financial results for Q4 of fiscal 2025 [6] - Tesla Inc. (NYSE:TSLA) declined by 0.94% after Morgan Stanley downgraded it to equal-weight due to high valuation concerns [6] - Paramount Skydance Corp. (NASDAQ:PSKY) increased by 1.72% after launching a cash tender offer to acquire Warner Bros. Discovery Inc. (NASDAQ:WBD) for $30 per share, valuing the company at $108.4 billion [13] Economic Insights - Comerica's economic outlook indicates a cooling economy and an expected rate reduction of a quarter percentage point at the FOMC's final meeting of the year [10] - The report highlights a fragile economic backdrop with signs of a weaker job market and a contracting manufacturing sector for nine consecutive months [12] - Inflation pressures remain, particularly in food and energy costs, despite slowing economic activity [12]

Core Viewpoint - Ares Management (ARES.US) shares rose over 7% to $175.83 after the announcement of its inclusion in the S&P 500 index, coinciding with Mars Inc.'s acquisition of Kellanova valued at $36 billion [1]. Group 1 - Ares Management will officially join the S&P 500 index before the market opens on December 11 [1]. - The inclusion of Ares Management comes ahead of the previously announced additions of Carvana (CVNA), CRH (CRH), and Comfort Systems USA (FIX), which will be added on December 22 [1]. - Being part of the S&P 500 index signifies market recognition for the constituent companies and necessitates that funds tracking the index purchase their stocks [1].

Group 1 - Ares Management (ARES.US) shares rose over 7% to $175.83 following the announcement of its inclusion in the S&P 500 index [1] - The S&P Dow Jones Indices announced that Ares Management will join the benchmark index before the market opens on December 11 [1] - This announcement coincides with Mars Inc.'s impending $36 billion acquisition of Kellanova, the manufacturer of Pringles and Pop-Tarts [1] Group 2 - As part of the regular quarterly adjustment, Carvana (CVNA), CRH (CRH), and Comfort Systems USA (FIX) will officially join the S&P 500 index before the market opens on December 22 [1] - Inclusion in the S&P 500 index signifies market recognition for constituent stocks, and funds tracking this index will be required to purchase Ares Management shares [1]

Core Points - S&P Dow Jones Indices announced changes to the S&P 500 and S&P SmallCap 600 indices, effective December 11 and December 15, 2025 [1][4] Group 1: S&P 500 Changes - Ares Management (Ticker: ARES) will be added to the S&P 500, replacing Kellanova (Ticker: K) which is being acquired by Mars Inc. [1][4] - The acquisition of Kellanova is expected to close soon, pending final closing conditions [4] Group 2: S&P SmallCap 600 Changes - Vital Farms (Ticker: VITL) will replace Heidrick & Struggles International (Ticker: HSII) in the S&P SmallCap 600, with the latter being acquired by Advent International and Corvex Private Equity [1][4] - Sezzle (Ticker: SEZL) will be added to the S&P SmallCap 600, replacing Vital Energy (Ticker: VTLE), which is being acquired by Crescent Energy Co. [1][4] - The changes for the S&P SmallCap 600 will take effect on December 11 and December 15, 2025 [1]