INVESTMENTS (Tables)

6 Months Ended

Jun. 30, 2017

Investments in and Advances to Affiliates, Schedule of Investments [Abstract]

Summary of investments held

Fair Value Investments, excluding Equity Method Investments Held at Fair Value 

	Fair value at				Fair value as a percentage of total investments at
	June 30,		December 31,		June 30,		December 31,
	2017		2016		2017		2016
Private Investment Partnership Interests:
AREA Sponsor Holdings, LLC	$	25,711	$	28,898	4.6	%	6.8	%
ACE II Master Fund, L.P. (1)(2)	19,897		22,042		3.6	%	5.2	%
Ares Corporate Opportunities Fund III, L.P.	125,097		97,549		22.3	%	22.9	%
Ares Corporate Opportunities Fund IV, L.P. (2)	43,443		37,308		7.8	%	8.7	%
Resolution Life L.P.	33,410		33,410		6.0	%	7.8	%
Other private investment partnership interests (1)(3)	146,577		118,075		26.2	%	27.7	%
Total private investment partnership interests (cost: $270,555 and $256,638 at June 30, 2017 and December 31, 2016, respectively)	394,135		337,282		70.5	%	79.1	%
Collateralized loan obligations (cost: $165,706 and $89,743 at June 30, 2017 and December 31, 2016, respectively)(3)	164,807		89,111		29.3	%	20.9	%
Common stock (cost: $1,128 and $124 at June 30, 2017 and December 31, 2016, respectively)(3)	1,234		100		0.2	%	0.0	%
Total fair value investments (cost: $437,389 and $346,505 at June 30, 2017 and December 31, 2016, respectively)	$	560,176	$	426,493

(1) Investment or portion of the investment is denominated in foreign currency; fair value is translated into U.S. dollars at each reporting date.

(2) Represents underlying security that is held through various legal entities.

(3) No single issuer or investment had a fair value that exceeded 5% of the Company's total assets.

Investments held in the Consolidated Funds are summarized below:

	Fair value at				Fair value as a percentage of total investments at
	June 30,		December 31,		June 30,		December 31,
	2017		2016		2017		2016
United States:
Fixed income securities:
Consumer discretionary	$	753,922	$	665,773	21.8	%	20.0	%
Consumer staples	45,708		64,840		1.3	%	1.9	%
Energy	74,433		45,409		2.2	%	1.4	%
Financials	162,618		139,285		4.7	%	4.2	%
Healthcare, education and childcare	264,325		246,403		7.7	%	7.4	%
Industrials	142,110		149,632		4.1	%	4.5	%
Information technology	122,366		194,394		3.6	%	5.8	%
Materials	130,831		139,994		3.8	%	4.2	%
Telecommunication services	217,617		261,771		6.3	%	7.9	%
Utilities	40,373		47,800		1.2	%	1.4	%
Total fixed income securities (cost: $1,956,026 and $1,945,977 at June 30, 2017 and December 31, 2016, respectively)	1,954,303		1,955,301		56.7	%	58.7	%
Equity securities:
Energy	271		421		0.0	%	0.0	%
Partnership and LLC interests	217,740		171,696		6.3	%	5.2	%
Total equity securities (cost: $192,265 and $149,872 at June 30, 2017 and December 31, 2016, respectively)	218,011		172,117		6.3	%	5.2	%

	Fair value at				Fair value as a percentage of total investments at
	June 30,		December 31,		June 30,		December 31,
	2017		2016		2017		2016
Europe:
Fixed income securities:
Consumer discretionary	$	353,662	$	274,678	10.3	%	8.2	%
Consumer staples	53,666		39,197		1.6	%	1.2	%
Financials	54,523		28,769		1.6	%	0.9	%
Healthcare, education and childcare	139,683		111,589		4.1	%	3.4	%
Industrials	84,965		118,466		2.5	%	3.6	%
Information technology	39,657		49,507		1.2	%	1.5	%
Materials	151,706		124,629		4.4	%	3.7	%
Telecommunication services	104,514		118,632		3.0	%	3.6	%
Utilities	12,246		4,007		0.4	%	0.1	%
Total fixed income securities (cost: $1,050,273 and $892,108 at June 30, 2017 and December 31, 2016, respectively)	994,622		869,474		29.1	%	26.2	%
Equity securities:
Consumer staples	1,645		1,517		0.0	%	0.0	%
Healthcare, education and childcare	45,063		41,329		1.3	%	1.2	%
Telecommunication services	—		24		—	%	0.0	%
Total equity securities (cost: $67,199 and $67,290 at June 30, 2017 and December 31, 2016, respectively)	46,708		42,870		1.3	%	1.2	%
Asia and other:
Fixed income securities:
Consumer discretionary	20,587		24,244		0.6	%	0.7	%
Financials	—		1,238		—	%	0.0	%
Healthcare, education and childcare	—		10,010		—	%	0.3	%
Telecommunication services	11,917		8,696		0.3	%	0.3	%
Total fixed income securities (cost: $32,149 and $46,545 at June 30, 2017 and December 31, 2016, respectively)	32,504		44,188		0.9	%	1.3	%
Equity securities:
Consumer discretionary	38,843		44,642		1.1	%	1.3	%
Consumer staples	46,746		50,101		1.4	%	1.5	%
Healthcare, education and childcare	44,637		32,598		1.3	%	1.0	%
Industrials	16,578		16,578		0.5	%	0.5	%
Total equity securities (cost: $122,418 and $122,418 at June 30, 2017 and December 31, 2016, respectively)	146,804		143,919		4.3	%	4.3	%

	Fair value at				Fair value as a percentage of total investments at
	June 30,		December 31,		June 30,		December 31,
	2017		2016		2017		2016
Canada:
Fixed income securities:
Consumer discretionary	$	3,277	$	—	0.1	%	—	%
Consumer staples	2,764		5,256		0.1	%	0.2	%
Energy	16,488		12,830		0.5	%	0.4	%
Healthcare, education and childcare	—		15,509		—	%	0.5	%
Industrials	1,266		1,401		0.0	%	0.0	%
Telecommunication services	10,659		13,852		0.3	%	0.4	%
Total fixed income securities (cost: $34,299 and $48,274 at June 30, 2017 and December 31, 2016, respectively)	34,454		48,848		1.0	%	1.5	%
Equity securities:
Consumer discretionary	7,532		164		0.2	%	0.0	%
Total equity securities (cost: $17,202 and $408 at June 30, 2017 and December 31, 2016, respectively)	7,532		164		0.2	%	0.0	%
Australia:
Fixed income securities:
Consumer discretionary	4,347		5,627		0.1	%	0.2	%
Energy	2,517		6,046		0.1	%	0.2	%
Industrials	—		2,926		—	%	0.1	%
Utilities	—		21,154		—	%	0.6	%
Total fixed income securities (cost: $8,087 and $37,975 at June 30, 2017 and December 31, 2016, respectively)	6,864		35,753		0.2	%	1.1	%
Equity securities:
Utilities	—		17,569		—	%	0.5	%
Total equity securities (cost: $0 and $18,442 at June 30, 2017 and December 31, 2016, respectively)	—		17,569		—	%	0.5	%
Total fixed income securities	3,022,747		2,953,564		87.9	%	88.8	%
Total equity securities	419,055		376,639		12.1	%	11.2	%
Total investments, at fair value	$	3,441,802	$	3,330,203

Schedule of equity method investments

The Company's equity method investments, including those where the fair value option was elected, are summarized below:

	As of June 30,		As of December 31,
	2017		2016
Equity method investment	$	3,480	$	3,616
Equity method investments at fair value	17,104		21,843
Total equity method investments	$	20,584	$	25,459

Summary of cost and fair value of investments classified as HTM

A summary of the cost and fair value of CLO notes classified as held-to maturity investments is as follows:

	As of June 30,		As of December 31,
	2017		2016
Amortized cost	$	17,921	$	16,519
Unrealized gain (loss), net	142		(116		)
Fair value	$	18,063	$	16,403