The Long-Short

With Japan’s recent election results bringing markets and policy back into the spotlight, this episode of The Long-Short is worth a revisit. Tom Kehoe is joined by Masaki Taniguchi, Founder and COO of Pleiad Investment Advisors, to unpack how Japan’s asset management landscape has evolved from the 1997 deregulation era to today’s “double asset income” policy, and what it means for Japan’s ambitions (and challenges) as a growing hub for alternative investments.

The UAE is one of the world’s fastest-expanding hubs for hedge funds and other alternative investment firms, attracting people from around the world. Not long ago, we spoke with recruiter Oscar Orellana-Hyder of Cordell Partners to get the inside track on hiring trends, the most in-demand roles, and what it takes to land a job in the rapidly evolving financial centre.

Hedge funds delivered in 2025 and investors are happy but aren’t exactly throwing more money on the table. In this episode of The Long-Short, Tom Kehoe is joined by Hedgeweek’s Manas Singh to unpack the latest AIMA research on why investors still prize hedge funds for uncorrelated returns and capital preservation yet remain cautious on increasing allocations or backing new managers. They break down demand by strategy, the growing pull of private credit, and why fee pressure is still front and centre. 

In this episode of The Long-Short, McKinsey’s Global Head of Technology and AI Kate Smaje cuts through the hype to explain where AI is delivering real value, what agentic AI could change next, and how asset management firms should think about talent, risk, and strategy as AI scales. A practical, forward-looking conversation for leaders navigating the AI moment. Additional resources:Agents, robots, and us: Skill partnerships in the age of AIThe state of AI in 2025: Agents, innovation, and transformation

As 2025 draws to a close, The Long-Short team delivers its annual year in review episode. Host Tom Kehoe unpacks a transformative year marked by seismic geopolitical shifts, the rise of private credit as a defining industry narrative, and landmark legal wins for the industry. Joining him is AIMA CEO Jack Inglis, who reflects on hedge fund performance, a whirlwind year of global advocacy, and what lies ahead for hedge funds and private markets in 2026.

This week on The Long-Short, Chris Hughes, Editor-in-Chief of Abu Dhabi Finance Week, joins us to preview a record-setting edition of the event, now drawing more than 40,000 attendees and institutions representing over half of global GDP. With more than 70 sessions on the agenda, including the inaugural AIMA Private Credit Summit, we explore how this year’s theme reflects the tightening links between global financial hubs and the growing impact of technologies like AI.  Tom and Drew also unpack Abu Dhabi’s rising influence on the world stage and what this accelerating momentum means for alternative investment managers.

This week on The Long-Short, we sit down with David Cartwright Forbes, Head of Specialist Markets, Gallagher Reward & Benefits Consulting, to talk about an asset manager’s most overlooked competitive edge: people. From attracting top talent to keeping teams motivated in an era of rapid tech change and generational shifts, David shares why a forward-looking people strategy is no longer a “nice to have” but a must. We explore how smaller firms can stand out with culture and purpose, how investors increasingly influence workforce priorities, and why flexibility and autonomy now sit at the heart of every great talent plan.

This week on The Long-Short, Tom and Drew are joined by Damien Bruckard, Founder of Geopolitical Strategy, for a trip around the world to map out the economic and political fault lines reshaping global markets, from Trump-era trade shifts and the rise of regional trading blocs to recent record-breaking gold prices and the artificial intelligence capex surge. Damien also charts how India and the Gulf are becoming power players, and signposts where the next geopolitical shock could hit investors' portfolios.