Wow, those private equity guys make a ton of money!  We ought to be private equity types and get in on the action.  Meanstwhile, the private equity types are thinking the time has come to move on.  The market is getting crowded and the prey scarce.  They know a secret in plain view:  Private equity is but one position on the pendulum’s swing and it has a shelf life that’s about to expire.   

So what do you do when you’ve been canonized by the market as a certified genius?  Well, you market it and then take the money and run.  Thus the widely anticipated Blackstone IPO.  An article on APR’s MarketPlace this morning included: 

Remember the dot-com craze? Boston University's James Post wonders if the deal-makers just figure the time has come to cash in on their reputations before private equity mania reaches its peak. 

Well said.  And while we wait with baited breath to snap up Blackstone stock, the Barbarian’s already know the and is picked clean and are making a hasty get away with the last asset worth grabbing—our cash.  Besides, the private equity landscape is about to get a whole lot less profitable as new taxes are proposed and implemented. I’m looking into my crystal ball for secrets in plain view….Looks like the stock market is coming back…for a while…