Private Equity Funds Outnumber McDonald’s

Bloomberg notes there are about 19,000 private‑equity funds in the U.S., versus roughly 14,000 McDonald’s locations. The sheer fund count highlights how finance vehicles have proliferated into a mass‑market landscape once occupied by consumer franchises. It raises questions about regulatory oversight, capital allocation, and the real economy’s dependence on financial intermediaries. — A vivid ratio reframes financialization as a scale phenomenon the public can grasp, inviting scrutiny of how capital is organized and governed.