Portfolios of shows, like equally fashionable portfolios of movies, are said to have a similar risk profile to venture capital funds, in which one or two hits (typically) more than make up for the flops, which are usually the great majority.

ECONOMIST: Investing in stage musicals is, like, totally hot!

In the past little risk capital was available locally, and few foreign funds believed there was money to be made.

ECONOMIST: India does IT

They began to put their capital at risk on behalf of their clients, taking the other side of deals when pension funds and insurance companies wanted to rearrange their portfolios.

ECONOMIST: The unintended consequences of past financial reforms