The ratings agency has downgraded £100m of mezzanine loans for Focus, a do-it-yourself retailer owned by Duke Street Capital and Apax Partners, over the increased possibility of a default.
2 min read · 12 January 2013
Higher levels of debt in private equity buyouts in Europe has increased risks for financial institutions warns a report from De Nederlandsche Bank, the Dutch central bank.
2 min read · 12 January 2013
A multitude of government institutions and formally established family offices make the Gulf Region a rich source of capital for the world's leading GPs. The most significant local player is ADIA, the giant investment authority in Abu Dhabi.
5 min read · 12 January 2013
Taking full advantage of ultra-liquid debt markets, buyout funds are handing big sums of cash back to investors. As holding periods shorten, are limited partners in danger of getting too comfortable with private equity's new short-termism, asks Philip Borel.
7 min read · 12 January 2013
The sale of Misys is taking longer than some investors would like.
4 min read · 12 January 2013
Electra Private Equity, the recently renamed UK investment trust, is hoping to gorge on new deals after seven years of profitable abstinence.
6 min read · 12 January 2013
Charterhouse is set to return £500 million to shareholders with a refinancing carried out by Merrill Lynch less than two years after acquiring the over-50s insurance and leisure group.
2 min read · 12 January 2013
MBK Partners, a North Asia-focused private equity manager, is competing with Goldman Sachs, Carlyle and KKR for Taiwan’s top cable TV operator in a transaction estimated to fetch about $1.4 billion.
2 min read · 12 January 2013
Cerberus Capital Management has emerged to become one of the most active private equity investors in the world. But the firm's high-profile deals, such as GMAC, contrast with an extremely private culture. How long can the firm avoid the spotlight? Dave Keating reports.
7 min read · 12 January 2013
Michael Smith, chairman of CVC Capital Partners, likes to keep his cards close to his chest and has so far minimised contact with the media. In August, he met for a rare interview with Philip Borel to discuss the prospect of a downturn, staff compensation, public relations and the rise of listed private equity.
10 min read · 12 January 2013
