After rallying off their midyear lows early in the third quarter, the shares of the alternative asset managers ended the period down 1% on average as the prospect of rising short-term rates raised concerns about deployments and monetizations in the near to medium term.
The Carlyle Group, with $334.4 billion in fee-earning AUM at the end of June 2026, is one of the go-to firms for institutional and high-net-worth investors looking for exposure to alternative assets.
Bears
A prolonged downturn in the credit and/or equity markets could leave potential investors in Carlyle's funds with limited liquidity and large commitments to other funds, making it difficult for the firm to raise new capital.
Carlyle Group is one of the world's largest alternative-asset managers, with $485.5 billion in total AUM, including $334.4 billion in fee-earning AUM, at the end of June 2026. The company has three core business segments: global private equity, which includes its private equity, real estate, infrastructure, and natural resources offerings (with $162.7 billion in total AUM and $96.6 billion in fee-earning AUM), global credit ($211.1 billion/$167.6 billion), and investment/fund solutions, known as Carlyle AlphInvest ($111.7 billion/$70.2 billion). The firm primarily serves institutional investors and high-net-worth individuals. Carlyle operates through 29 offices across five continents, serving more than 3,100 active carry fund investors from 87 countries.