Investors have plenty of reasons to stay the course with their private equity commitments despite challenges such as labour shortages, rising inflation, higher interest rates and political polarisation, speakers at a conference said.

“We do want to keep investing through this cycle, as it’s proven out time after time after time that that’s a proven strategy,” said Maurice Gordon, head of private equity at Guardian Life Insurance Company of America, which ended 2021 with $10.7bn in capital.