Blackstone’s Jon Gray hails India as top investment bet
Blackstone president Jon Gray identified India as among the world’s premier investment locations based on rapid economic expansion. He told attendees at a recent gathering that the nation offers attractive long-term prospects through infrastructure spending and an expanding middle class. Gray named real estate, secondary markets and India as three sectors with strong potential returns for capital deployment.
Commercial property is entering a favorable period after three difficult years, during which new construction fell 70 percent and asset values adjusted downward. Secondary markets grew from 23 billion dollars to 200 billion dollars across 15 years, yet represent just 1.5 percent of managed assets. Gray emphasized that India maintains momentum despite recent geopolitical friction through heavy infrastructure investment and rising consumer purchasing power.
The International Monetary Fund raised its growth projection for India to 6.6 percent this fiscal year from a previous 6.4 percent estimate. Domestic expansion helps counter the effects of American tariffs on exported goods. The fund expects the economy to advance 6.2 percent in the following year, according to its latest global outlook report.
