Alternative Managers Decline as AI Concerns Impact Software and Private Credit Sectors
Written by Emily J. Thompson, Senior Investment Analyst
Updated: Feb 23 2026
0mins
Should l Buy OWL?
Source: Barron's
Market Performance: Shares of alternative asset managers are experiencing a decline, continuing a trend of falling prices.
AI Disruption Concerns: The slump is largely attributed to worries about the impact of artificial intelligence on the industry.
Broader Factors: There are additional factors contributing to the downturn beyond just AI concerns.
Ongoing Trends: The decline in shares reflects a protracted slump in the market for alternative asset management.
Trade with 70% Backtested Accuracy
Stop guessing "Should I Buy OWL?" and start using high-conviction signals backed by rigorous historical data.
Sign up today to access powerful investing tools and make smarter, data-driven decisions.
Analyst Views on OWL
Wall Street analysts forecast OWL stock price to rise
15 Analyst Rating
12 Buy
3 Hold
0 Sell
Strong Buy
Current: 10.680
Low
18.00
Averages
21.13
High
28.00
Current: 10.680
Low
18.00
Averages
21.13
High
28.00
About OWL
Blue Owl Capital Inc. is an alternative asset management company. The Company deploys private capital across Credit, GP Strategic Capital and Real Estate platforms on behalf of institutional and private wealth clients. Its product platforms include Credit, GP Strategic Capital and Real Estate. Its credit products offer private financing solutions primarily to upper-middle-market companies. Its credit products are offered through a mix of business development companies, long-dated private funds, managed accounts and collateralized loan obligations. It is focused on acquiring equity stakes in or providing debt financing to private capital firms. Its Real Estate products are focused on acquiring triple net lease real estate occupied by investment-grade or creditworthy tenants. Its Real Estate products are offered through Permanent Capital vehicles, including its real estate investment trusts, and long-dated private funds. It offers asset management services to the insurance industry.
About the author
Emily J. Thompson
Emily J. Thompson, a Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA) with 12 years in investment research, graduated with honors from the Wharton School. Specializing in industrial and technology stocks, she provides in-depth analysis for Intellectia’s earnings and market brief reports.
Blue Owl Capital Shares Drop Amid Liquidity Concerns
- Liquidity Pressure Intensifies: Blue Owl Capital's shares fell 3.89% to $10.27 as concerns over liquidity strains and redemption pressures heightened, leaving investors uneasy about future capital-raising prospects.
- Surge in Trading Volume: The company saw a trading volume of 54 million shares, which is 141% above its three-month average of 22.4 million shares, indicating heightened market scrutiny regarding its liquidity issues that could impact investor confidence.
- Asset Sale Developments: Blue Owl agreed to sell approximately $1.4 billion in direct lending investments at 99.7% of par, suggesting that loan values remain close to face value, despite increased scrutiny on non-bank lenders that may affect future fundraising capabilities.
- Employee Stock Ownership Plan: The company filed a shelf registration for an employee stock ownership plan covering up to 50 million Class A shares, with investors closely watching for potential dilution effects, especially amid rising redemption pressures.
See More
Blue Owl Capital Faces Liquidity Pressures
- Stock Decline: Blue Owl Capital (NYSE:OWL) closed at $10.27 on Tuesday, down 3.89%, as fresh reports of liquidity strains and redemption pressures raised investor concerns, with shares hitting a 52-week low of $10.07, reflecting market caution towards private credit.
- Surge in Trading Volume: The company saw trading volume reach 54 million shares, approximately 141% above its three-month average of 22.4 million shares, indicating heightened market focus on its liquidity issues, with investors closely watching how asset sales and fund gating risks will impact future capital raising.
- Asset Sale Developments: Blue Owl agreed to sell about $1.4 billion in direct lending investments at 99.7% of par, suggesting loan values remain close to face value; however, scrutiny of non-bank lenders intensified following reports of $1.7 billion in net outflows from Blackstone's BCRED vehicle.
- Employee Stock Ownership Plan: The company filed a shelf registration for an employee stock ownership plan covering up to 50 million Class A shares, raising investor concerns about potential dilution, especially as ongoing redemption pressures persist, making future fundraising efforts critical to balance these challenges.
See More
Blackstone Shares Slide Due to Client Withdrawals
- Client Withdrawal Pressure: Blackstone allowed investors to withdraw $3.7 billion from its $82 billion private credit fund BCRED in Q1, resulting in net outflows of $1.7 billion, pushing the stock down to a two-year low.
- Surge in Redemption Requests: Redemption requests reached 7.9%, exceeding the typical 5% quarterly limit, prompting Blackstone to temporarily raise the cap to meet all withdrawal requests, while the firm and its employees injected $400 million to assist with redemptions.
- Growing Industry Concerns: The collapse of UK mortgage lender Market Financial Solutions has heightened fears of hidden risks in private credit, with research firm RA Stanger forecasting a 40% year-over-year drop in BDC fundraising by 2026, mirroring the sharp slowdown seen in wealthy investors' real estate funds in 2023.
- Technical Analysis: Blackstone's stock is currently positioned below all key moving averages, trading 13.1% below its 20-day SMA and 23.3% below its 50-day SMA, indicating ongoing weakness, with a 30.60% decline over the past 12 months reflecting broader market challenges and negative investor sentiment.
See More
JPMorgan CEO Warns of Deteriorating Credit Cycle Risks
- Credit Cycle Warning: JPMorgan CEO Jamie Dimon cautioned at the Global Leveraged Finance Conference that the next credit cycle will be worse than normal due to widespread complacency among lenders, particularly as government debt reaches unprecedented levels, potentially leading to inflated asset prices and low credit spreads.
- Inflation Risk Factors: Dimon noted that the Iran conflict could trigger inflation, although he expressed cautious optimism that it might serve as a catalyst for lasting peace in the Middle East, asserting that higher gas prices won't significantly impact inflation unless the situation persists.
- Market Risk Pricing Changes: According to Kalshi, the odds of a recession in 2026 have risen from 21% in February to 25%, while the likelihood of US unemployment exceeding 5% has increased from 33% to 37%, indicating growing market concerns about economic prospects.
- Private Credit Market Vulnerability: Noted investor Steve Eisman warned that the $1.8 trillion private credit market could severely harm the US economy, particularly as over 20% of private credit is tied to software buyout loans made at pre-AI valuations, which may default if those companies are replaced by AI.
See More
Blackstone's BCRED Private Credit Fund Experiences Unprecedented Redemptions, Heightening Concerns.
- Blackstone's Private Credit Fund: The flagship private credit fund of Blackstone experienced significant redemptions in the first quarter, indicating challenges within the private credit sector.
- Impact on Stock Performance: Following the news of redemptions, Blackstone's stock saw a decline during early trading on Tuesday.
See More
Insider at Blue Owl Capital (OWL.US) Plans to Sell $9.56 Million in Common Stock via Form 144
Share Sale Announcement: Blue Owl Capital plans to sell 906.21K shares of its common stock on March 2, with a total market value of approximately $9.56 million.
Reduction in Holdings: Blue Owl Exchange LP has decreased its shareholding in Blue Owl Capital by 710.59K shares since December 2, 2025, with a total value of around $10.68 million.
See More
Blue Owl Capital Shares Drop Amid Liquidity Concerns
- Liquidity Pressure Intensifies: Blue Owl Capital's shares fell 3.89% to $10.27 as concerns over liquidity strains and redemption pressures heightened, leaving investors uneasy about future capital-raising prospects.
- Surge in Trading Volume: The company saw a trading volume of 54 million shares, which is 141% above its three-month average of 22.4 million shares, indicating heightened market scrutiny regarding its liquidity issues that could impact investor confidence.
- Asset Sale Developments: Blue Owl agreed to sell approximately $1.4 billion in direct lending investments at 99.7% of par, suggesting that loan values remain close to face value, despite increased scrutiny on non-bank lenders that may affect future fundraising capabilities.
- Employee Stock Ownership Plan: The company filed a shelf registration for an employee stock ownership plan covering up to 50 million Class A shares, with investors closely watching for potential dilution effects, especially amid rising redemption pressures.
See More
Blue Owl Capital Faces Liquidity Pressures
- Stock Decline: Blue Owl Capital (NYSE:OWL) closed at $10.27 on Tuesday, down 3.89%, as fresh reports of liquidity strains and redemption pressures raised investor concerns, with shares hitting a 52-week low of $10.07, reflecting market caution towards private credit.
- Surge in Trading Volume: The company saw trading volume reach 54 million shares, approximately 141% above its three-month average of 22.4 million shares, indicating heightened market focus on its liquidity issues, with investors closely watching how asset sales and fund gating risks will impact future capital raising.
- Asset Sale Developments: Blue Owl agreed to sell about $1.4 billion in direct lending investments at 99.7% of par, suggesting loan values remain close to face value; however, scrutiny of non-bank lenders intensified following reports of $1.7 billion in net outflows from Blackstone's BCRED vehicle.
- Employee Stock Ownership Plan: The company filed a shelf registration for an employee stock ownership plan covering up to 50 million Class A shares, raising investor concerns about potential dilution, especially as ongoing redemption pressures persist, making future fundraising efforts critical to balance these challenges.
See More
Blackstone Shares Slide Due to Client Withdrawals
- Client Withdrawal Pressure: Blackstone allowed investors to withdraw $3.7 billion from its $82 billion private credit fund BCRED in Q1, resulting in net outflows of $1.7 billion, pushing the stock down to a two-year low.
- Surge in Redemption Requests: Redemption requests reached 7.9%, exceeding the typical 5% quarterly limit, prompting Blackstone to temporarily raise the cap to meet all withdrawal requests, while the firm and its employees injected $400 million to assist with redemptions.
- Growing Industry Concerns: The collapse of UK mortgage lender Market Financial Solutions has heightened fears of hidden risks in private credit, with research firm RA Stanger forecasting a 40% year-over-year drop in BDC fundraising by 2026, mirroring the sharp slowdown seen in wealthy investors' real estate funds in 2023.
- Technical Analysis: Blackstone's stock is currently positioned below all key moving averages, trading 13.1% below its 20-day SMA and 23.3% below its 50-day SMA, indicating ongoing weakness, with a 30.60% decline over the past 12 months reflecting broader market challenges and negative investor sentiment.
See More
JPMorgan CEO Warns of Deteriorating Credit Cycle Risks
- Credit Cycle Warning: JPMorgan CEO Jamie Dimon cautioned at the Global Leveraged Finance Conference that the next credit cycle will be worse than normal due to widespread complacency among lenders, particularly as government debt reaches unprecedented levels, potentially leading to inflated asset prices and low credit spreads.
- Inflation Risk Factors: Dimon noted that the Iran conflict could trigger inflation, although he expressed cautious optimism that it might serve as a catalyst for lasting peace in the Middle East, asserting that higher gas prices won't significantly impact inflation unless the situation persists.
- Market Risk Pricing Changes: According to Kalshi, the odds of a recession in 2026 have risen from 21% in February to 25%, while the likelihood of US unemployment exceeding 5% has increased from 33% to 37%, indicating growing market concerns about economic prospects.
- Private Credit Market Vulnerability: Noted investor Steve Eisman warned that the $1.8 trillion private credit market could severely harm the US economy, particularly as over 20% of private credit is tied to software buyout loans made at pre-AI valuations, which may default if those companies are replaced by AI.
See More
Blackstone's BCRED Private Credit Fund Experiences Unprecedented Redemptions, Heightening Concerns.
- Blackstone's Private Credit Fund: The flagship private credit fund of Blackstone experienced significant redemptions in the first quarter, indicating challenges within the private credit sector.
- Impact on Stock Performance: Following the news of redemptions, Blackstone's stock saw a decline during early trading on Tuesday.
See More
Insider at Blue Owl Capital (OWL.US) Plans to Sell $9.56 Million in Common Stock via Form 144
Share Sale Announcement: Blue Owl Capital plans to sell 906.21K shares of its common stock on March 2, with a total market value of approximately $9.56 million.
Reduction in Holdings: Blue Owl Exchange LP has decreased its shareholding in Blue Owl Capital by 710.59K shares since December 2, 2025, with a total value of around $10.68 million.
See More
