Co-Chairman & Chairman of the Board, Houlihan Lokey
Search every verified Irwin Gold interview, podcast appearance, and on-the-record quote — each transcript cross-checked by AI and human review to confirm speaker identity. In a September 2018 interview with Bloomberg, Houlihan Lokey Executive Chairman Irwin Gold said he was "troubled" by the political situation in Italy, noting that the firm had a joint venture in Milan and additional capabilities in other European cities. He stated that geopolitical risks are outside the firm's control but that Houlihan Lokey manages its business to succeed in any environment. Gold described the current low-interest-rate environment as "a grand experiment in monetary policy" that feels good but whose long-term outcome no one can predict. Gold said that if a populist government in Italy were to withdraw from the euro, causing a devaluation, it would be "a very difficult time" for Italian corporate borrowers. He noted that while the U.S. has the most efficient restructuring regimen, Italy's is less efficient, which he said creates opportunities for Houlihan Lokey on the capital markets and restructuring sides. Gold expressed confidence that any disruption could be addressed through capital markets solutions, adding that many credit-related funds are "salivating" for disruptions that allow them to deploy capital into fundamentally good businesses.
“I'm troubled by what we're hearing out of Italy. We have a joint venture in Milan and additional capabilities in Madrid, Amsterdam, and Frankfurt, so we're in that market. We can't control geopolitical risks, but we manage our business to be successful whatever the environment is.”
“If interest rates, market rates, and yields rise and spreads don't compress, it's going to become that much more expensive for companies to finance.”
“This is a grand experiment in monetary policy which no one can predict definitively how it will go, but it sure feels good having low interest rates.”
“If the worst happens and a populist government in Italy decides to withdraw from the euro, causing a massive devaluation, it will be a very difficult time for Italian corporate borrowers.”
May.31 -- Houlihan Lokey Executive Chairman Irwin Gold discusses the current political climate in Italy with Bloomberg's Erik ...
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