alternative markets update June 2021

​Inflation is one of the most important topics in 2021. The rise in inflation is all but surprising given the central bank interventions of last year. Inflation is as high as it has not been for the past ten years. However, current inflation levels are not of huge concerns, but rather what levels could be reached given unprecedented money printing since Covid-19. Consequentially, many large investors have made moves towards gold and Bitcoin (BTC). Equity markets have also rising tremendously, perhaps already incorporating potentially high inflation in the coming year(s). Figure 1 shows the inflation rate in the US since 1915. In the last 30 years, inflation was rarely higher than it is currently, but the potential of ballooning is substantial. For example, inflation is only slightly lower than it was at the peak of the financial crisis in 2008, but the interventions this time were multiple times higher than back in 2008. Alongside, the more outstanding money, debt of government has also skyrocketed, as governments had to fight the devastating economic impact Covid-19 brought. Figure 2 shows the debt to GDP ratio of most countries. Most developed economies, except the Scandinavian countries and Switzerland, have surpassed a ratio of 50%. Another substantial number of countries have even surpassed the 100% mark, e.g. the UK, the US, and France. The highest ratio is from Japan with 257%.

*|MC_PREVIEW_TEXT|*

RESEARCH PERSPECTIVE VOL. 157 June 2021 Alternative Markets Update June 2021 Inflation is one of the most important topics in 2021. The rise in inflation is all but surprising given the central bank interventions of last year. Inflation is as high as it has not been for the past ten years. However, current inflation levels are not of huge concerns, but rather what levels could be reached given unprecedented money printing since Covid-19. Consequentially, many large investors have made moves towards gold and Bitcoin (BTC). Equity markets have also rising tremendously, perhaps already incorporating potentially high inflation in the coming year(s). Figure 1 shows the inflation rate in the US since 1915. In the last 30 years, inflation was rarely higher than it is currently, but the potential of ballooning is substantial. For example, inflation is only slightly lower than it was at the peak of the financial crisis in 2008, but the interventions this time were multiple times higher than back in 2008. Alongside, the more outstanding money, debt of government has also skyrocketed, as governments had to fight the devastating economic impact Covid-19 brought. Figure 2 shows the debt to GDP ratio of most countries. Most developed economies, except the Scandinavian countries and Switzerland, have surpassed a ratio of 50%. Another substantial number of countries have even surpassed the 100% mark, e.g. the UK, the US, and France. The highest ratio is from Japan with 257%. Figure 1: US Inflation’s Ups and Downs, Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, June 2021 Figure 2: Global Debt to GDP Ratio in 2021, Source: HowMuch.Net & IMF, June 2021 The yield curve steepening from early 2021 has stopped and reversed slightly over the past weeks. At the beginning of 2021, in particular long-term US interest rates have strongly increased. After the initial surge, the increase stopped and has now corrected slightly. Figure 3 gives some insights into the development of global interest rates. Short-term interest rates barely moved in 2021 with the exception of US rates, which shortly gained quite a lot, but lost it again soon after. Global long-term rates have gained almost 1% over two months but have since than remained constant and are falling again since June 2021. UK gilts show a similar development, while for example German bunds had a smaller move and are still in the negative territory. Figure 3: Global Interest Rates Over Time, Source: Barrons Statistics & Tradeweb ICE US Treasury Close, June 2021 In general, June 2021 so far has been a relatively quiet month. In the given ecosystem, gold seems to move counterintuitive, despite being at a historically very high price, especially in the context of unprecedented money printing and record-breaking equities. Figure 4 shows the commodities-to-equity ratio over the last 40 years. The ratio suggest that commodities are worth the least compared to equity in the last fifty years. Gold surged substantially in May 2021 and hit the $1,900 mark again before dropping again in June 2021. Another seemingly positive indicator, the weak phase of crypto, which has been argued that it was one of the factors for the decline in gold in early 2021, should imply that gold should be again more attractive. However, this implication does not seem to hold based on the current development of gold. In comparison to gold, oil is still doing very well and continues to rise since it collapsed at the beginning of Covid-19. Since then, oil has increased steadily and WTI crude oil surpassed the $70 per barrel for the first time in years. Figure 4: Commodities to Equities Ratio, Source: Incrementum AG & Crescat Capital LLC, June 2021 STONE MOUNTAIN CAPITAL Stone Mountain Capital is an advisory boutique established in 2012 and headquartered in London with offices Pfaeffikon in Switzerland, Dubai and Umm Al Quwain in United Arab Emirates. We are advising 30+ best in class single hedge fund and multi-strategy managers across equity, credit, and tactical trading (global macro, CTAs and volatility). In private assets, we advise 10+ sponsors and general partners across private equity, venture capital, private credit, real estate, capital relief trades (CRT) by structuring funding vehicles, rating advisory and private placements. As of 16th February 2021, Stone Mountain Capital has total alternative Assets under Advisory (AuA) of US$ 60.3 billion. US$ 47.6 billion is mandated in hedge funds and US$ 12.7 billion in private assets and corporate finance (private equity, venture capital, private debt, real estate, fintech). Stone Mountain Capital has arranged new capital commitments of US$ 1.65 billion across hedge fund, private asset and corporate finance mandates and has been awarded over 50 industry awards for research, structuring and placement of alternative investments. As a socially responsible group, Stone Mountain Capital is a signatory to the UN Principles for Responsible Investing (PRI). Stone Mountain Capital applies Socially Responsible Investment (SRI) filters to all off its alternative investment strategies and general partners on behalf of investors.    Our Team   Our Mandates   Our Research   Our News     Contact We are able to source any specific alternative investment search and maintain relationships with dozens of best-in-class hedge fund managers, private equity and private debt general partners (GPs) and real estate and infrastructure developers. We don’t pass any costs on to our investors, since our compensation comes from our mandated managers, GPs and developers. Please contact us, should you require further information about our solutions.   Schedule a call with the team Main UK Tel.: +44 207 268 4905 Main Switzerland Tel.: +41 44 586 45 55 Main UAE Tel.: +971 4383 5386 We have updated our privacy policy to take into account the new requirements of the GDPR. Please take some time to read the policy, which explains what personal data we collect, why we collect it, how we use it and other relevant information. You can review our privacy policy here, our anti-bribery policy here and our commitment to the UK stewardship code here. Stone Mountain Capital LTD is registered (Reference: ZA589246) in the data protection public register of the Information Commissioner's Office ('ICO') in the United Kingdom. No action is required if you wish to remain in contact, however please reply if you want your details removed by contacting us at [email protected] or by using the unsubscribe button below. In case this newsletter has been forwarded to you and you want to subscribe, please click here. Stone Mountain Capital is a limited company (LTD) registered in England & Wales with registered number 8763463. The registered address is: One Mayfair Place, Devonshire House, Mayfair, London W1J 8AJ, England, United Kingdom. Stone Mountain Capital LTD is authorised and regulated with FRN: 929802 by the the Financial Conduct Authority (‘FCA’) in the United Kingdom. Stone Mountain Capital LTD is the Distributor of foreign collective investment schemes distributed to qualified investors in Switzerland. Certain of those foreign collective investment schemes are represented by First Independent Fund Services LTD, which is authorised and regulated by the Swiss Financial Market Supervisory Authority (‘FINMA') as Swiss Representative of foreign collective investment schemes pursuant to Art 13 para 2 let. h in the Federal Act on Collective Investment Schemes (CISA). Stone Mountain Capital LTD conducts securities related activities in the U.S. pursuant to a Securities and Exchange Commission ('SEC') Rule 15a-6 Agreement with Crito Capital LLC, a U.S. SEC registered broker-dealer, and member of Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (‘FINRA’), Securities Investor Protection Corporation (‘SIPC’) and Municipal Securities Rulemaking Board (‘MSRB'). Stone Mountain Capital Partners LLP is incorporated as limited liability partnership in England & Wales with company registration number: OC430515. Its registered office is: One Mayfair Place, Devonshire House, Mayfair, London W1J 8AJ, United Kingdom.  Stone Mountain Capital Partners LLP is registered as Appointed Representative with FRN: 934964 of Stone Mountain Capital LTD which is authorised and regulated with FRN: 929802 by the Financial Conduct Authority (‘FCA’) in the United Kingdom. Stone Mountain Capital FZC is registered at: Business Center, Al Shmookh Building, Umm Al Quwain Free Zone, Umm Al Quwain, United Arab Emirates. All information in this perspective including research is classified as minor acceptable non-monetary benefits ('MNMB') in accordance with article 11(5)(a) of the MiFID Delegated Directive (EU) 2017/593 and FCA COBS 2.3A.19. Copyright © 2021 Stone Mountain Capital LTD. All rights reserved. Any business communication, sent by or on behalf of Stone Mountain Capital LTD or one of its affiliated firms or other entities (together "Stone Mountain"), is confidential and may be privileged or otherwise protected. This e-mail message is for information purposes only, it is not a recommendation, advice, offer or solicitation to buy or sell a product or service nor an official confirmation of any transaction. It is directed at persons who are professionals and is not intended for retail customer use. This e-mail message and any attachments are for the sole use of the intended recipient(s). Our LTD accepts no liability for the content of this email, or for the consequences of any actions taken on the basis of the information provided, unless that information is subsequently confirmed in writing. Any views or opinions presented in this email are solely those of the author and do not necessarily represent those of the limited company. Any unauthorised review, use, disclosure or distribution is prohibited. If you are not the intended recipient, please notify the sender by reply e-mail and destroy all copies of the original message and any attachments. By replying to this e-mail, you consent to Stone Mountain monitoring the content of any e-mails you send to or receive from Stone Mountain. Stone Mountain is not liable for any opinions expressed by the sender where this is a non-business e-mail. Emails are not secure and cannot be guaranteed to be error free. Anyone who communicates with us by email is taken to accept these risks. This message is subject to our terms at our Disclaimer.