Private equity & venture capital dry powder continues to reach record levels, with an aggregate $839 in available capital as of the end of Q3 2016. Portfolio company valuations have also increased, with the average buyout deal size standing at $405mn this quarter. 2015 witnessed record levels of cap…

Thirty-one private real estate funds reached a final close in Q3 2016, collectively raising $18.5bn – a slowdown compared with Q2. However, the 808 completed PERE deals resulted in the second highest quarter for deal activity since the beginning of 2014. In terms of performance, closed-end private r…

Amid a turbulent political backdrop, which has seen an increase in the proportion of new hedge funds launched in North America at the expense of Europe, the third quarter of 2016 marked seven consecutive months of positive returns for the overall hedge fund industry, which may go some way towards al…

Q3 saw a marked uptick for unlisted natural resources fundraising, with 15 funds reaching a final close securing a combined $25bn in investor commitments. However, there is a divergence in where the commitments are flowing as half of funds closed in 2016 failed to reach their initial target. Energy-…

Private debt fundraising was substantially down in Q3 compared with one year ago, with 24 private debt funds securing $11bn globally. North America remained the most prevalent region, with private debt funds focused on the region securing $8.6bn. Although two distressed debt funds reached a final cl…

Following reduced activity in Q1 2016, the second quarter of 2016 demonstrated signs of recovery, with $101bn in aggregate capital secured by only 180 funds reaching a final close. In addition, dry powder levels have continued to rise, standing at $818bn as of June 2016. Deal activity has recovered …

Fundraising was particularly challenging in the second quarter of 2016, with half of funds closed in H1 2016 failing to meet their initial target sizes and securing less than half the amount of capital raised in Q1. North America remains the most targeted region for natural resources investment and …

The second quarter of 2016 saw eight unlisted infrastructure funds close, securing an aggregate $4.2bn. Despite this challenging period of fundraising, 58% of investors look set to commit more than $100mn to infrastructure in the next 12 months in comparison with the previous year. H1 2016 saw 564 d…

Twenty-six private debt funds reached a final close in the past quarter, securing $15.7bn in aggregate capital globally. Opportunities in North America and Europe continue to be the focus of the majority of capital raised. In particular, direct lending funds remain the most sought-after strategy for…

Although fewer funds closed in Q2 than Q1, the trend of capital concentration in private real estate asset class has continued, with fierce competition for investor capital and more funds currently in market targeting greater amounts of capital than seen in recent years. Performance also remained st…

Q2 2016 represented a turning point for hedge funds following a challenging H2 2015 and Q1 2016. In the second quarter, there were three back-to-back months of positive returns and the Preqin All-Strategies Hedge Fund benchmark was up 2.15%. The shock UK Brexit result and forthcoming US election, co…

Amid a relatively strong quarter for fundraising (44 funds closed securing $21bn), the largest real estate firms still dominate the market: two-thirds of capital raised in Q1 2016 came from the top 10 largest funds to close. With continued demand for real estate and the resulting increase in valuati…

Following a difficult second half of 2015, when the sector saw losses of -2.50%, the first two months of 2016 were disappointing for many in the hedge fund industry; even a return of 2.66% in March failed to bring the benchmark into positive territory in Q1 2016. However, CTAs and macro strategies f…

The first quarter of 2016 saw 150 funds hold a final close, raising an aggregate $66bn and representing a slowdown on the strong fundraising of the previous quarter. Global private equity-backed buyout deal and exit activity also slowed noticeably, especially when compared with the levels seen in 20…

Following a record year for natural resources fundraising in 2015 there has been a slower start to 2016: 12 funds closed in Q1 2016, raising $11.7bn. Investors appear concerned over the recent performance of the asset class, with returns falling short of expectations for many. As a result, investors…

Sixteen private debt funds reached a final close in Q1 2016, securing a total of $8.3bn in commitments globally. The vast majority of capital raised is focused on opportunities in North America and Europe, with funds focused on these regions each collecting $4.1bn. North America-focused funds saw an…

Of the 10 infrastructure funds to reach a final close this quarter, four vehicles accounted for 89% of the $14.6bn fundraising total – investors appear to be placing more faith in the deal sourcing abilities of large, established infrastructure firms. Q1 2016 has seen the third successive quarterly …