ROOKONOMY
FINANCIAL INTELLIGENCE · SATURDAY, 22 AUG 2026
Pick a rabbit hole.
CAPITAL MOVED
$4.8T
Today
DEALS TRACKED
127
Global PE/VC
S&P 500
+1.2%
5,847 points
HOT SECTOR
AI → Energy
Private credit
SIGNAL — WHAT TO WATCH
• Private credit
Institutional allocations increasing. Banks retreating from mid-market lending.
ACCELERATING
• AI infrastructure
Power demand becoming a bottleneck. Data centre capex hitting records.
WATCH CLOSELY
• Commercial real estate
Refinancing pressure is increasing. Office vacancy at decade highs in major CBDs.
STRESS BUILDING
• Indian startups
Funding activity accelerating. $2.1B deployed in Q2 — highest since 2021.
ACCELERATING
THE MOVE — INTELLIGENCE CARDS
THE MOVE
Blackstone × Private Credit
Institutional capital moving deeper into private markets. Banks can’t compete on speed or flexibility.
PE · Credit Read the breakdown →
THE MOVE
Thoma Bravo × Dayforce
$12.7B take-private of HCM software. Classic SaaS buyout — optimise margins, exit at a premium.
PE · Technology Read the breakdown →
THE BOARD — KNOWLEDGE MAP
Energy
Private Credit
NVIDIA
Banks
AI
VC
Every node is clickable — explore the financial ecosystem
ROOK MODE — LEARN BY DOING
SCENARIO · VC FUNDAMENTALS
A startup just raised $30M at a $150M valuation. Revenue is $8M. Growth is 120% YoY.
You’re a VC with $5M left to deploy. The founder is asking for $3M for 2% equity. What do you do?
Invest at their terms
Negotiate for 3%
Pass — too expensive
Ask for a co-investor
ASK ROOK — AI FINANCE COMPANION
R
Ask Rook anything — “Why is private credit growing?” or “Explain liquidation preferences”
rookonomy.com · The Board · Signal · Deals · Rook Lab · Finance, demystified.