2018 was an eventful year in the finance world. From big hedge funds shuttering, to unicorns (finally) filing for IPOs, to huge transformations in the media and telecom industries.
So what should we expect in 2019?
Business Insider spoke with a variety of of experts, from high flying money managers to prominent investors to top investment bankers and executives. Here’s what they said about the biggest trends next year.
Four top investors gave their best predictions for trends in the asset-management industry
Business Insider talked to four top investors in the asset management industry, including executives from JPMorgan and UBS, to get their predictions for 2019.
They expect that the new year will bring about a number of changes, including the continued culling of products and better exits for early-stage impact investors.
Here are their best ideas for what next year might bring.
Top investment bankers talk technology IPOs
Despite crazy market volatility in recent months, 2019 will still be a strong year for technology initial public offerings, according to top technology bankers that Business Insider spoke with.
Tech IPOs could break records in 2019 as US bankers prepare for some of the largest private companies in the world, like Uber, Lyft and Pinterest, to make their stock market debuts.
Here tech bankers share their biggest hopes and fears for 2019.
Here are the hedge fund managers to watch next year
It's been a roller-coaster ride for most hedge funds this year.
Through the first half of 2018, hedge funds were performing pretty well. But that turned sharply in the third quarter. Market volatility in October and November hit hedge funds hard, and a number of large managers like Jason Karp's Tourbillon Capital Partners and Highfields Capital Partners ended up shutting their funds.
Business Insider talked to top hedge funds consultants, recruiters, lawyers, and investors, who shared their picks about the managers they'll be watching closely next year in this tough environment. The list includes notable investors like Steve Cohen, who founded Point72 Asset Management, as well as lesser known managers.
Fund managers share secrets behind their success
The recent turbulence in the market caught some people off guard, but it didn't knock down everyone - at least a number of fund managers performed well amid the wild volatility.
Business Insider spoke with eight best-performing large-cap fund managers of 2018, as ranked by Kiplinger. These winners, most of whom run growth funds, shared the secrets behind their success and offered outlooks for 2019.
Top predictions in the media and advertising industry
2018 has been a big year for mega-deals in the telecom and media industries, These include AT&T's acquisitions of Time Warner and AppNexus, to Disney's deal for 21st Century Fox, to the merger between T-Mobile and Sprint.
There's more M&A to come in 2019, analysts and investment-banking experts told Business Insider. Some predict the next wave will focus on midsize digital companies, while others are keeping their eyes on behemoths like Comcast and Charter Communications.
Here are more of their predictions.
Billion dollar healthcare startups worth watching
2018 has been a great year for healthcare and biotech companies to raise capital.
From 23andMe's massive $300 million infusion to Devoted Health's $300 million raise as it prepares to get into the Medicare Advantage business, these companies have raised more than $28.7 billion through the first 11 months of 2018, according to PitchBook.
Here are the billion-dollar startups revolutionizing healthcare that you should be watching in 2019.
A top tech banker predicts 2019 to be a year of innovation in audio, 5G, and space tech
Aryeh Bourkoff, a well-known tech, media, and telecom banker, shared his predictions for next year in the industry.
Bourkoff expects the hottest issues in 2019 to be the battle in direct-to-consumer video, major developments in mobile thanks to 5G, new innovations in voice and audio technologies, and swift developments in emerging industries like esports and space technology.
Where Wall Street's biggest firms say you should put your money in 2019
After a year that saw the return of volatility, an ever-escalating trade war between the world's two largest economies, a massive dose of fiscal stimulus, and an extension of the near-record bull run, the consensus is gradually turning bearish.
Given these factors, investors are being advised to carve out positions in assets that have not been stars of the nearly 10-year bull market, such as cash and value stocks. Moreover, these assets will come in handy if volatility remains high and economic growth slows down next year, as is widely expected.
We've rounded up these recommendations and other investing tips for navigating the stock market in 2019 from the chief equity strategists at top Wall Street firms.