Socioeconomic

Barbell

as

an

Investment

Driver:

Deploying

Capital

in

a

Bifurcating

Economy

The concept of the socioeconomic barbell describes a growing split in society—where wealth and income are increasingly concentrated at the top and bottom ends of the spectrum, while the middle class erodes. This polarization is driven by factors such as globalization, automation, stagflation, and capital outflows, and it's reshaping how capital should be deployed.

The paper explores how this trend is impacting sectors like retail (luxury vs. discount), real estate (luxury vs. affordable housing), financial services (wealth management vs. payday lending), and autos (new car demand vs. repair services). It argues that traditional “middle market” strategies may become less effective in a barbell-shaped economy. View Full Report