Liquidity is not only the ability to quickly sell an asset, but also the price at which this can be done without a strong discount. In private markets, this topic is especially important: an asset can be of high quality, but it can be difficult to get out of it quickly.
Therefore, an investor always looks at liquidity as part of risk management. The less liquid the asset, the more careful you need to be with your position size and holding horizon.
In the AMCH context, liquidity is one of the key pre-trade filters. A good return without a clear exit often turns out to be just a nice number on paper.
When people talk about public market liquidity, they usually mean the predictable ability to buy or sell an asset at close to the market price at almost any time. The exchange, market makers, transparent quotes and daily pricing create an environment where a participant understands that if he needs to exit a position, the market is likely to accept his trade quickly. Even if the price changes, the exit mechanism itself remains operational and understandable.
In the private market the logic is different. Shares of private companies, shares in funds, venture capital and private equity investments are not traded on the stock exchange and do not have a constant flow of counter orders. To exit such a position, an investor needs a separate buyer, negotiated terms, due diligence and an often lengthy transaction cycle. Therefore, liquidity here is not a default property of the market - it is created manually, sporadically and usually at a discount to the expected value of the asset.
The main difference is that in the public market, price and liquidity are less separated: the asset can be sold quickly, and the price is formed continuously and publicly. In the private market, the price is often arbitrary and based on a valuation, a model or the latest round of financing, rather than on the actual willingness of participants to buy and sell here and now. This means that the stated value of an asset and the price at which it can actually be sold may diverge significantly.
That is why liquidity in the private market has not only technical, but also economic importance. Low liquidity increases time risk: capital may be tied up for years, and access to it may be limited even if market conditions change. For the investor, this means the need to plan in advance the holding horizon, sources of liquidity and exit scenarios. For the manager, it is a more difficult task to evaluate the portfolio and manage expectations.
Another important effect is the illiquidity premium. Investors who are willing to give up quick access to capital usually expect additional returns. But this premium is not guaranteed: it only compensates for the inconvenience, uncertainty and risks that arise due to the lack of a regular market. During periods of stress, the illusion of a high valuation can quickly disappear when it turns out that the asset can only be sold at a significant discount or not immediately.
Private markets also have specific risks associated with transparency. If in the public market the quote is constantly verified by transactions, then in the private market the estimate may be updated rarely and depend on a limited set of data. This creates the risk of overvaluation of assets, especially when the investment thesis is built on future rounds, M&A or an exit through an IPO. The fewer transactions and fewer participants, the more the price depends on the context, and not on current demand.
Therefore, when discussing the liquidity of the private market, it is important not to reduce it to the question “can an asset be sold.” It's about how predictably paper value can be turned into cash flow, at what cost this is possible and what costs accompany the output. In a public market, this mechanism is built into the system. In the private market, it requires a separate strategy, discipline and understanding that liquidity itself is a valuable and scarce resource here.