ActiveInvestorMag.com: Megadonors

Blackstone’s inflows reach $63 billion as rising rates slow private equity and real estate exits

Thu, 22 Oct 2026 21:17:00 GMT

Shares rose 6% on an earnings beat, while proceeds from private equity asset sales fell 49% and the firm cast widening spreads on AI-related debt as a chance for higher returns.

Blackstone’s inflows reached $63 billion in the third quarter, with positive momentum across its major fundraising efforts, chairman and chief executive Stephen Schwarzman said. The shares rose 6% after the firm beat earnings expectations. Net income rose and total assets under management were up 10%.

Assets under management topped $1.37tn. Perpetual capital assets under management reached $562.3 billion, up 12%. The credit and insurance business pulled in $35.8bn in the quarter.

Rising rates hit the firm’s core businesses. Proceeds from asset sales in the private-equity unit fell 49%, and real estate exits also slowed. Real estate dragged on third-quarter earnings growth.

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Trump says his political operation has committed $400 million to the midterms as MAGA Inc. pours in $277 million

Wed, 21 Oct 2026 14:16:00 GMT

The president’s super PAC spent more than $200 million in September alone, and a late $80 million donation is now flowing to Democrats.

President Donald Trump said on Tuesday that his political operation had committed $400 million to the midterm elections, including $300 million already spent. He said he plans to spend at least $400 million by Election Day.

His super PAC, MAGA Inc., has put $277 million into the midterms. It spent more than $200 million in September, mainly through two affiliated PACs, according to election data released on Tuesday. That is nearly a quarter of a billion dollars to help Republicans.

Trump said the money is going to help Republicans in the midterms. At the same campaign event, Trump called up Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick to announce the construction of a new plant to build silicon wafers.

Why it matters to investors, and what to watch: on the site.

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Musk’s money lifts Republican committees to $367 million while Democrats outraise them in hard dollars

Sat, 17 Oct 2026 21:20:00 GMT

Republican super PACs are flush and Democratic candidates are not, and the result will decide who handles next year’s debt ceiling.

Elon Musk helped power Republican political action committees to a $367 million fundraising haul. The Congressional Leadership Fund, the House counterpart, raised $94.4 million and counted Musk and the investor Timothy Mellon among its bigger donors. Musk emerged as the cycle’s biggest known individual donor. Even so, Democrats outraised Republicans despite his millions.

The candidate numbers show where the gap sits. In Texas, the Democratic Senate nominee James Talarico raised $64 million in the third quarter against $18 million for Ken Paxton, and in Georgia Senator Jon Ossoff raised $33.1 million against $2.8 million for Mike Collins. Axios framed it as Republicans awash in super PAC cash while Democrats hold the advantage in hard dollars, revealing an enthusiasm gap that money cannot buy.

Why it matters to investors, and what to watch: on the site.

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Leaked documents name the companies behind the $330 million White House ballroom

Fri, 16 Oct 2026 14:32:00 GMT

The Washington Post reported the donor list for the project, which includes large technology companies and executives with business before the administration.

Secret documents reveal the donors behind $330 million for President Trump’s ballroom, the Washington Post reported. Brandon Lutnick, chairman of the investment bank Cantor Fitzgerald and the son of Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick, donated stock, according to that account. Rolling Out, summarising the list, reported that 57 companies are named and put Brandon Lutnick’s donation at $2.5 million. Mediaite reported on the top donors revealed in the documents.

Apple and Nvidia each gave $25 million to the project and were among the top donors, the New York Post reported. Nvidia’s chief executive, Jensen Huang, had told reporters at the time that the company was contributing “in a small way”, and the company reportedly requested that its $25 million be handled in a particular way. Aftermath reported that Microsoft and Nvidia were among the top donors, and Huang’s “in a small way” characterisation appears in that account as well. The Dallas Morning News reported that Miriam Adelson, the owner of the Dallas Mavericks, donated $25 million.

Why it matters to investors, and what to watch: on the site.

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Musk’s midterm spending is reported at $276 million by some outlets and $366 million by others

Mon, 12 Oct 2026 21:29:00 GMT

Reports agree he is the largest known donor of the cycle and disagree on the total by about a third.

Elon Musk has spent roughly $366 million on the midterm elections to help Republicans retain control of Congress, Reuters reported on Monday. The Miami Herald carried the same figure. CNN said Musk has poured at least $276 million into the midterms and called him the top booster for Republicans. Forbes said he has already spent more than $276 million.

The Hill reported both numbers in one piece: its headline said Musk threw $276 million behind Republicans, while its text said the contributions bring the total so far to $366 million. The Globe and Mail and PBS both described him as the biggest known donor in the midterms without leading on a figure, and The Jerusalem Post called him the single-largest political donor in the cycle. The Korean outlet Asiae reported the donations as more than 370 billion won.

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Carlyle drops out and a Boehly consortium moves on Lukoil’s foreign refineries

Mon, 12 Oct 2026 14:48:00 GMT

A consortium led by the Trump donor Todd Boehly, backed by Washington, is positioning itself for Lukoil’s international assets, including refineries in Bulgaria, Romania and the Netherlands.

Carlyle has dropped its bid for Lukoil’s international assets and a consortium led by Todd Boehly, backed by Washington, is now positioning itself for them, in a confirmation that followed the publication of Lukoil material the excerpt does not finish describing.

Bulgarian state radio reported that Lukoil’s refineries in Bulgaria, Romania and the Netherlands are included in a deal by the billionaire Todd Boehly to acquire the Russian oil company’s assets. A Bulgarian outlet noted separately that the Burgas refinery is part of Boehly’s deal for the Lukoil assets.

The two reports describe the same package from different ends: one has Carlyle withdrawing and the Boehly consortium moving in, the other lists the specific refineries now attached to Boehly’s name.

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A $20 billion Lukoil deal lands inside the US-Russia talks on Ukraine

Mon, 05 Oct 2026 14:36:00 GMT

The consortium pursuing Lukoil’s assets is led by a Trump donor and includes a US government financial agency.

Negotiations between the United States and Russia over Ukraine now include a multibillion-dollar deal for assets of the Russian oil company Lukoil, according to New York Times reporting published on Saturday. The figure put on the transaction is $20 billion. US investor Todd Boehly leads the consortium pursuing the assets.

Alongside Boehly, the reported participants include two Qatari businessmen, an investment fund in the United Arab Emirates and a US government financial agency. Another account describes the bidders as a billionaire investor, a branch of the American government and two entities from the Middle East with existing business ties. President Vladimir Putin raised the deal at a Kremlin meeting on September 5, attended by US envoy Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner, the president’s son-in-law. A Russian envoy has publicly backed Kushner over the matter.

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Lukoil asset sale enters the US-Russia talks on Ukraine

Sun, 04 Oct 2026 14:23:00 GMT

A multibillion-dollar sale of Lukoil’s foreign assets has become part of the negotiations, with the leading bidder group tied to the US envoys.

US-Russia talks on ending the war in Ukraine now involve a multibillion-dollar oil deal, the New York Times reported. The transaction covers Lukoil’s foreign assets and has been valued at about $20 billion. President Vladimir Putin raised the subject at a September meeting with US negotiators Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner, people familiar with the discussions told the paper. A senior administration official confirmed that Witkoff and Kushner helped negotiate.

The leading group bidding for the assets is led by American investor Todd Boehly. Partners named in the reporting include Abu Dhabi’s International Holding Company and Qatar’s Al-Khayyat brothers. Other accounts describe two Middle Eastern groups that have done past business with Kushner or the Witkoff family, together with a US federal agency. Bulgaria’s Burgas refinery is part of the package.

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Lukoil’s overseas asset sale moves into US-Russia talks on Ukraine

Sat, 03 Oct 2026 14:25:00 GMT

A New York Times report says an investor group led by Todd Boehly has emerged as the leading bidder for assets now caught up in the negotiations.

Lukoil’s $20 billion overseas asset sale has become entangled in US-Russia talks over Ukraine, drawing in the investor Todd Boehly, Gulf investors and a US government agency. The New York Times reported that the talks now involve an oil deal tied to Trump allies. Reuters, citing that report, said the group pursuing the deal includes Boehly and two Middle Eastern groups that have done business with Jared Kushner or Steve Witkoff. The Times identified Boehly as the leader of the investor group, describing him as a billionaire asset manager and co-owner of the Los Angeles Dodgers.

The Times of India reported that the Boehly-led group has emerged as the leading bidder, alongside Middle Eastern investors and the US government, and that details remain scarce. CDM described Boehly’s as the leading rival bid for the assets, and noted that he has donated to Trump’s political operation.

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Trump donor’s oil company signs a Venezuelan development deal

Fri, 18 Sep 2026 14:23:00 GMT

Continental Resources, founded by Harold Hamm, has signed a memorandum of understanding with PDVSA to operate the Ayacucho 2 block, described as holding 30 billion barrels.

Continental Resources, the Oklahoma-based oil company founded by billionaire Harold Hamm, has signed a memorandum of understanding with Venezuela’s state oil company. Energy Pedia identified the counterparty as Petroleos de Venezuela and the asset as the Ayacucho 2 block. Hoodline reported the deal covers 126,000 acres in Venezuela’s Orinoco Belt holding 30 billion barrels. The New Voice of Ukraine reported that Continental will develop the Ayacucho 2 oil field, which contains 30 billion barrels.

Politico Pro reported from Houston that Hamm, a close ally of President Donald Trump, announced the memorandum himself. “Continental was built to recognize great resource opportunities and have the conviction to pursue them,” Hamm said. The signing took place during the third day of the G20 ministerial meeting on energy abundance, and Hamm signed alongside a PDVSA executive vice president, with US Energy Secretary Chris Wright describing the project.

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Trump donor Harold Hamm’s Continental signs a preliminary Venezuela oil deal

Thu, 17 Sep 2026 21:13:00 GMT

The shale pioneer’s company has agreed a memorandum of understanding with PDVSA, and the energy secretary called it a milestone.

Harold Hamm, the shale oil pioneer and a close ally of President Donald Trump, announced that his company had signed a memorandum of understanding to invest in Venezuelan oil. Continental Resources signed the MOU with PDVSA, the Venezuelan state producer, for an oil block. The deal was announced on Wednesday.

The asset is large. Continental will develop the Ayacucho 2 field, which one account describes as containing 30 billion barrels. Doug Lawler, Continental’s president and chief executive, spoke to energy markets in the announcement, with Hamm named as founder and chairman emeritus. Bloomberg had reported the company was set to announce the deal as the Trump administration pushed the opening. The Wall Street Journal characterised it as a preliminary agreement, and Reuters reported it alongside a separate arrangement for the US firm Heeney Capital to operate a Venezuelan gold mine.

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Two crypto billionaires give Reform UK a combined £72 million in 48 hours

Sat, 12 Sep 2026 21:16:00 GMT

Ben Delo and Christopher Harborne each pledged a record £36 million, described in coverage as the largest gifts in British political history.

Crypto investor Ben Delo said on Friday he would donate a record £36 million to Nigel Farage’s Reform UK, at £1 million a month before the next national election. A day later, cryptocurrency billionaire Christopher Harborne said he had donated £36 million of his own, equalling Delo’s contribution. Reform UK landed the second record £36 million donation within 48 hours of the first.

The dollar equivalents reported differ slightly. Reuters put Delo’s £36 million at $48.7 million, while accounts of Harborne’s matching sum put it at about $49 million. Combined, the two donations total £72 million in under 48 hours. Le Monde described the sum as the largest gift in British political history.

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