The Year Ahead/Finance

Blackstone President and COO Jonathan Gray Sees Volatility Ahead

The heir apparent to Stephen Schwarzman discusses the economy, rates, and Saudi investment in the firm’s infrastructure fund.

Jonathan Gray, president and chief operating officer of private equity giant Blackstone Group LP.

Photographer: Nathan Bajar

What’s the biggest single issue for Blackstone in 2019?

I think for any large investment organization, it’s thinking about deploying capital as you get later in an economic cycle.

How late are we in the economic cycle?