Commentary

Making it count

Private equity professionals with few deals at hand may donate their skills to venture philanthropy, writes Toby Mitchenall.

PEO Video: An inside look at emerging markets

Investor appetite has soared in recent years for fund managers focused on rapidly growing emerging markets. But is the demand - and the demographic trends driving them - sustainable? Jonathon Bond, fundraising chief for Actis, 3i Asia head Chris Rowlands and Bill Emmott, former Economist editor, share their views.

Looking down market

Expect private equity firms in Latin America to target businesses catering to the base of the socioeconomic pyramid, writes Suzanne Weinstock.

May I borrow your fund interest?

David Snow explores the idea of shorting private equity valuations.

Catch-22

Buyers of secondary fund interests are worried about pricing drops, while sellers are concerned MAC clauses could cause deals to fall through, writes Christopher Witkowsky.

Smartest guys in the portfolio

How much confidence do LPs have in private equity? They’re begging GPs to slash valuations and scrambling to throw more cash at the asset class, writes David Snow.

Notes from the frontline

Since most Central and Eastern Europe funds are denominated in Euros, it is unlikely that many new deals will be signed until the present currency volatility has abated, writes Joanna James.

Choosing battles

The image of private equity firms on both sides of the Atlantic asking for bailout money weakens the industry’s position on the carried interest debate, writes Christopher Witkowsky.

Valuation free-for-all

Regulators' recent remarks have heightened confusion about how to value portfolios in today’s volatile economic climate, writes Andy Thomson.

Notes from the frontline

Professional departures, investor defaults and some LPs pressuring GPs not to issue capital calls are among a host of changes in the fundraising sphere suggesting a more regulated marketplace in the future, write Marco Masotti and Ellen Ching.