Opinion

It’s perhaps inevitable that we would write a story on women in private equity and receive a nasty anonymous email in response. I won’t go into the details, but suffice to say it wasn’t supportive of women. To be sure, the nasty email was only one of many responses we received on our work — […]

Despite my best intentions to get to the bottom of every story, I’ve recently run into a handful of private equity funds whose strategies and capital sources remain unfathomable. My calls and research led to some tantalizing tidbits but incomplete narratives. Pantheon Ventures manages $400 million for two mystery investors Pantheon Ventures, the London fund-of-funds manager with $32 billion in assets under management, filed Form Ds with […]

The push for complete transparency in private equity just gained a major ally: The Pew Charitable Trusts. Pew, a nonprofit research organization, recently released a study that advocates for the public disclosure of private equity fees and expenses, including carried interest. Transparency is vital for an industry that has become increasingly important to the fiscal health of […]

A decision last August by the National Labor Relations Board continues to throw into question the tidy arm’s length relationship that private equity shops have maintained with their portfolio companies. Under a worst case scenario, sponsors may find themselves involved in collective bargaining with unions at portfolio companies, liable for any unfair labor practices, and on the hook for pension contributions. […]

The shadow of the SEC is looming over the private equity secondary market. SEC officials have been vocal about their scrutiny of zombie funds and the restructuring process. Agency officials have said at past conferences they plan to watch this area closely to make sure limited partners are being treated fairly. In restructurings, new investors buy assets […]

Torys LLP's Michael Akkawi, Sophia Tolias and Guy Berman believe key dynamics of Canada's private equity market in 2015 tell us a lot about emerging trends in 2016. In a PE Hub Canada exclusive, they argue how a more competitive market environment, new PE strategies and other factors are shaping deal activity. Neville Jugnauth and Derek Flaman also share their insights on the new deal opportunities in Canada’s energy sector.

Does the stock market know something the rest of us don’t?  The S&P 500’s more than 9 percent drop from New Year’s through February 10 suggests that the United States’s seven-year trot of economic growth, however plodding, may be heading for a concrete wall. And fears of an imminent recession have real consequences. Financial buyers, for one, won’t […]

Torys LLP has released its much-anticipated Private Equity in Focus 2016 report. It considers how private equity deal-making in 2015 has set the stage for this year's transactions. Torys' report helps investment pros peer into what lies ahead in 2016 through three levels of focus: in the markets, in the deals, and in the terms.

The California Public Employees’ Retirement System board has been in discussions about the best way to benchmark performance of its private equity portfolio. One of the benchmarking options being considered, according to a public agenda of the board meeting in January, is a list of the most desired terms and conditions in private equity funds. […]