The Daily Spark

Want it delivered daily to your inbox?

  • Future Early Retirement Age Across Countries

    Torsten Slok

    Apollo Chief Economist

    OECD data shows that the future early retirement age differs dramatically across countries. Illustrated using male workers, it is 58 in the UK, 62 in the US and 71 in Denmark, see chart below.

    Future early retirement age for a man with an uninterrupted career from age 22
    Sources: OECD Pensions at a Glance 2025 | OECD, Apollo Chief Economist

    Download high-res chart

    See important disclaimers at the bottom of the page.


  • US Housing Outlook

    Torsten Slok

    Apollo Chief Economist

    Demand for housing is slowing because of high home prices, high mortgage rates and declining immigration.

    Housing supply is steady because existing homeowners are reluctant to sell their homes, since they’re locked into lower mortgage rates and don’t want to take on higher ones. Housing supply of new homes is rising.

    The bottom line is that falling demand and rising supply are putting downward pressure on home prices.

    Our latest US housing outlook is available here.

    US Housing Outlook

    Download high-res chart book

    See important disclaimers at the bottom of the page.


  • G3 Fiscal Policy Very Expansionary in 2026

    Torsten Slok

    Apollo Chief Economist

    The IMF estimates that fiscal policy will boost growth by 1% in Germany and 0.5% in Japan in 2026. The CBO estimates that the One Big Beautiful Bill will boost US growth by 0.9%. The bottom line is that fiscal policy in the G3 will be very expansionary over the coming quarters, see chart below.

    Strong fiscal boost coming in 2026
    Note: Fiscal impulse calculated using cyclically adjusted primary balance for Japan and Germany, and the estimated Impact of the OBBBA from the CBO. Sources: IMF Fiscal Monitor, CBO, Haver Analytics, Apollo Chief Economist

    Download high-res chart

    See important disclaimers at the bottom of the page.


  • Venezuela’s Self-Reported Oil Reserves

    Torsten Slok

    Apollo Chief Economist

    Venezuela’s self-reported crude oil reserves tripled from around 100 billion barrels in the early 2000s to 300 billion barrels in the late 2000s due to the reclassification of Orinoco Belt heavy oil as “proved,” see the first chart below. Much of the oil is extra-heavy, which has low recovery and a high cost to produce. There was no large new discovery or production increase to justify a tripling of reserves through exploration alone, see the second chart.

    Jump in crude oil reserves due to reclassification
    Sources: BP Statistical Review, Bloomberg
    No rise in crude oil production
    Sources: DOE, Bloomberg

    Download high-res charts

    See important disclaimers at the bottom of the page.


  • Credit Growth Accelerating in the US and Europe

    Torsten Slok

    Apollo Chief Economist

    Data for bank lending points to a gradual recovery in the US and Europe, see chart below.

    Gradual recovery in bank lending
    Sources: Federal Reserve, Macrobond, Apollo Chief Economist

    Download high-res chart

    See important disclaimers at the bottom of the page.


  • 40% of US Homes Don’t Have a Mortgage

    Torsten Slok

    Apollo Chief Economist

    Forty percent of US homes don’t have a mortgage, up from 33% in 2010, see chart below.

    40% of US homes don't have a mortgage
    Sources: US Census Bureau, Bloomberg, Apollo Chief Economist

    Download high-res chart

    See important disclaimers at the bottom of the page.


  • Strong Retail Demand for Gold

    Torsten Slok

    Apollo Chief Economist

    Retail demand for gold has exploded over the past year, see chart below.

    Strong global retail demand for gold
    Sources: Bloomberg, Apollo Chief Economist

    Download high-res chart

    See important disclaimers at the bottom of the page.


  • More Companies Staying Private for Longer

    Torsten Slok

    Apollo Chief Economist

    The median age of companies going public has increased to 14 years, see chart below.

    With more companies staying private for longer, and in some cases staying private forever, there is a bigger need for private markets in debt and equity.

    The median age of companies going public: Currently 14 years
    Sources: Jay Ritter, University of Florida, Apollo Chief Economist

    Download high-res chart

    See important disclaimers at the bottom of the page.


  • US Economy Enters 2026 in Great Shape

    Torsten Slok

    Apollo Chief Economist

    Weekly data for GDP and same-store retail sales are showing no signs of a slowdown in the US economy, see charts below.

    Weekly data for same-store retail sales
    Sources: Redbook Research Inc., Macrobond, Apollo Chief Economist
    The Fed's Weekly Economic Index, measured in GDP units
    Sources: Federal Reserve Bank of Dallas, Macrobond, Apollo Chief Economist

    Download high-res charts

    Explore the full 2026 Outlook, featuring our macro view and expert perspectives across regions and asset classes, at apollo.com/outlook.

    See important disclaimers at the bottom of the page.


  • Credit Metrics Continue to Improve

    Torsten Slok

    Apollo Chief Economist

    Not only are default rates trending lower, but the number of distressed exchanges has also started declining, see chart below.

    Distressed exchanges starting to come down
    Sources: PitchBook, Apollo Chief Economist

    Download high-res chart

    Explore the full 2026 Outlook, featuring our macro view and expert perspectives across regions and asset classes, at apollo.com/outlook.

    See important disclaimers at the bottom of the page.


This presentation may not be distributed, transmitted or otherwise communicated to others in whole or in part without the express consent of Apollo Global Management, Inc. (together with its subsidiaries, “Apollo”).

Apollo makes no representation or warranty, expressed or implied, with respect to the accuracy, reasonableness, or completeness of any of the statements made during this presentation, including, but not limited to, statements obtained from third parties. Opinions, estimates and projections constitute the current judgment of the speaker as of the date indicated. They do not necessarily reflect the views and opinions of Apollo and are subject to change at any time without notice. Apollo does not have any responsibility to update this presentation to account for such changes. There can be no assurance that any trends discussed during this presentation will continue.

Statements made throughout this presentation are not intended to provide, and should not be relied upon for, accounting, legal or tax advice and do not constitute an investment recommendation or investment advice. Investors should make an independent investigation of the information discussed during this presentation, including consulting their tax, legal, accounting or other advisors about such information. Apollo does not act for you and is not responsible for providing you with the protections afforded to its clients. This presentation does not constitute an offer to sell, or the solicitation of an offer to buy, any security, product or service, including interest in any investment product or fund or account managed or advised by Apollo.

Certain statements made throughout this presentation may be “forward-looking” in nature. Due to various risks and uncertainties, actual events or results may differ materially from those reflected or contemplated in such forward-looking information. As such, undue reliance should not be placed on such statements. Forward-looking statements may be identified by the use of terminology including, but not limited to, “may”, “will”, “should”, “expect”, “anticipate”, “target”, “project”, “estimate”, “intend”, “continue” or “believe” or the negatives thereof or other variations thereon or comparable terminology.