Tariff questions, private equity edition Download PitchBook’s 2Q 2018 M&A Report here. Like every tariff-related conversation, it’s too early to tell what impacts they’ll have on private equity. But like many PE-related conversations, different investors see different outcomes when looking at the same thing. Carlyle’s David Rubenstein, in an interview with CNBC, says that while the…

Strategics are the real barbarians “Barbarians at the gate” is an idiom that has lived past its shelf life. Classifying PE firms as barbarians implies they can raid and conquer at will. There was a tinge of truth to that in the 80s, but it’s a laughable argument in today’s market. As any investor will…

Another record year in the making? Download PitchBook’s 2Q 2018 US PE Middle Market report here. There are many themes worth discussing in the middle market, but one trend we can’t ignore is its consistent strength over the years. On cue, 2018 is on pace for yet another record year for both counts and value,…

First-time MM fundraising hums along Download PitchBook’s 2Q 2018 US PE Middle Market report here. We discussed last week the faltering fundraising market in the overall private equity market. But like most PE-related discussions, there’s usually a discrepancy between the PE middle market and the PE market as a whole. That’s especially true when looking…

Is the fundraising boom over? Download PitchBook’s 2Q 2018 US PE Breakdown report here. It isn’t news that US private equity fundraising has been on a tear in recent years. The flood began in 2013, which saw $195 billion raised across 290 vehicles. At the time, both figures were head-and-shoulders above 2012 totals, but it…

Heading west: PE sourcing more from the valley than public market Download PitchBook’s 2Q 2018 US PE Breakdown report here. We’ve remarked in the past that PE firms are warming to VC-backed targets. Younger tech companies are increasingly becoming viable buyout targets, or at least intriguing add-on candidates for their platforms. Meanwhile, we’ve also seen…

New tax law to impact PE data Download PitchBook’s Report click here. Recent changes to the US corporate tax rate are a mixed bag for private equity. Reducing the top-line rate from 35% to 21% affects PE at both the fund and portfolio company levels, as both are structured as corporate entities in the first…

Are small funds losing ground? Download PitchBook’s report here. Another quarter, another round of outperformance for large funds. Rolling one-year horizon IRRs have been consistent of late when broken down by fund size, and $1B+ PE funds once again bested their smaller peers in recent returns. Much of that recent outperformance might be traced back…

Is PE performance persistent? Download PitchBook’s Report click here. “Past performance does not guarantee future results.” Finance professionals have probably read that boilerplate disclosure so many times they may not even notice it anymore. And while that phrase has arguably reached truism status, there is a residual belief that past performance is relevant to future…

The pros and cons of long-dated funds Download PitchBook Report here Private equity moves at a glacial pace. While the average shelf life of a PE fund is often assumed to be eight to ten years, many funds require considerably more time to wind down. PitchBook data shows that it takes between 11 to 14…