HBG Holdings RoundTable : Private Equityhttp://www.hbgholdings.com/roundtable.phpFinancial Equity FeedPE undeterred by unrest in the Middle East http://www.hbgholdings.com/rssfeed/204.htmlMarch 25th, 2011

Global PE firms are still seeking deals in MENA despite the ongoing turmoil. In the annual SuperReturn conference in Berlin, the PE community is discussing their thoughts on the current turmoil. Although most players see a short-term impact, there is a realization that it bodes well for the long-term economic prospects of the region. Nevertheless, most PE firms will prefer to wait on the sidelines to see how things shape up in Egypt, Tunisia, Libya and other affected countries before making any further investments. 

 

]]> Mideast Private Equity Activity Starts to Revivehttp://www.hbgholdings.com/rssfeed/201.htmlJanuary 08th, 2011

Good article in the New York Times DealBook on revival of Middle East private equity in 2011. 

 

]]> Record exits by PE firms in Q4 2010http://www.hbgholdings.com/rssfeed/200.htmlJanuary 01st, 2011

Global PE witnessed a resurgence in Q4 2010 with more exits than any previous period, as revealed by Preqin, the PE watchdog. There were approximately 265 exits in the quarter worth $71.8bn while 593 new PE deals worth $64.2bn were announced. The exit value of $71.8bn is almost equal to the value for whole of 2009. Emerging markets also saw an increase of 39% in deal activity over Q3, with 66 deals valued at $8.6bn. 

 

]]> Gulf Venture Capital Association Annual Report 2009http://www.hbgholdings.com/rssfeed/188.htmlJuly 21st, 2010'Private equity fundraising in H1'2010 is already equal to fundraising in FY2009. This would suggest that private equity activity is expected to gradually increase after two turbulent years for the regional industry' said Mr. Nasser Saidi from Hawkamah during the launch of the GVCA Annual Report 2009.

]]> Private equity to emerge strongerhttp://www.hbgholdings.com/rssfeed/187.htmlJuly 19th, 2010Access to capital is unlikely to be a problem for private equity firms in the Middle East as the region is flush with liquidity and regional GDP is set to grow 3.5% in 2010 according to a report by Insead.

]]> Private equity needs structural changeshttp://www.hbgholdings.com/rssfeed/189.htmlJuly 10th, 2010The market for leveraged buy-outs has dried up forcing private equity firms to focus on growth capital and equity driven transactions according to an article by Robin Wigglesworth in the Financial Times. Wigglesworth believes the scarcity of credit is putting pressure not only on returns but also on the buyout model which is unsustainable and will lead to the disappearance of a substantial number of private equity funds.

]]> Buy-out specialists take another lookhttp://www.hbgholdings.com/rssfeed/181.htmlJune 23rd, 2010'In the world of luxury goods, the ocean-going motor yachts that fill the harbor at Monaco every summer have to be the ultimate symbol of lavish excess' says an article in the Financial Times. Private equity investors are still injecting fresh equity in luxury yacht brands and the most recent deal involved a £25m injection into Sunseeker, one of the best-known luxury yacht brands.

]]> Making a date with a venturehttp://www.hbgholdings.com/rssfeed/180.htmlJune 15th, 2010London's Mayfair hotel played host to 70 investors gathered for a chance to meet the UK and Ireland's 30 hottest technology start-ups says a Financial Times article. The UK and Ireland Tech Tour is a two-day speed-dating event that introduces young technology companies in need of money to potential investors.

]]> Money can t buy lovehttp://www.hbgholdings.com/rssfeed/179.htmlJune 10th, 2010'US Congress is considering removing certain tax perks that have helped inflate the private equity bubble' says The Economist. The legislation in question is the 'American Jobs and Closing Tax Loopholes Act of 2010' and the change is set to impact the treatment of 'carried interest'.

]]> Investors target emerging market private equityhttp://www.hbgholdings.com/rssfeed/175.htmlMay 24th, 2010 Yahoo Middle East CEO shares insights at private equity summithttp://www.hbgholdings.com/rssfeed/169.htmlApril 14th, 2010 Private Equity Summit - Regional CEO Panelhttp://www.hbgholdings.com/rssfeed/168.htmlApril 13th, 2010 PEI Middle East Private Equity Update The outlook for 2010 remains challenginghttp://www.hbgholdings.com/rssfeed/150.htmlMarch 17th, 2010 Nordic Private Equity Congress Business and Investment Opportunities in Emerging Markets http://www.hbgholdings.com/rssfeed/128.htmlJanuary 25th, 2010 The new entrepreneurs of the Middle East must face up to the crisis or failhttp://www.hbgholdings.com/rssfeed/108.htmlDecember 28th, 2009 PE World MENA Panel Discussion Saudi Arabia as the region s powerhousehttp://www.hbgholdings.com/rssfeed/110.htmlDecember 06th, 2009 To suggest private equity fees apart from carried interest pay for Ferrari s is absurdhttp://www.hbgholdings.com/rssfeed/98.htmlNovember 18th, 2009 MENA Investor Summit 2009http://www.hbgholdings.com/rssfeed/111.htmlNovember 08th, 2009The 1st MENA Investor Summit took place in Jeddah on the 1st and 2nd of November 2009. The event brought over 150 investors from across the region and introduced them to pre-selected 28 companies.

]]> Global Investor Attitude to Private Equityhttp://www.hbgholdings.com/rssfeed/99.htmlOctober 20th, 2009A recent survey the British Venture Capital Association (BVCA) examines the attitudes of over 100 LPs towards investing in private equity funds over the next two years. The results are mixed with investors intending to decrease allocations in the short term but expressing positive sentiments about their long-term allocations to private equity funds.

]]> Investors shun PE funding in favour of minority stakeshttp://www.hbgholdings.com/rssfeed/97.htmlOctober 08th, 2009 Gordon Gecko taught us Greed is good What will be his mantra this time aroundhttp://www.hbgholdings.com/rssfeed/91.htmlSeptember 27th, 2009Oliver Stone and Michael Douglas are back reprising the role of Gordon Gecko in Wall Street 2. The original film shot in 1987 (yes it was 20+ years ago!) was a tale about greed, excess and unchecked ambition which encouraged many young people at the time to pursue a career in high finance.

]]> A marriage of convenience - Maktoob and Yahoohttp://www.hbgholdings.com/rssfeed/89.htmlSeptember 26th, 2009Yahoo gave web entrepreneurs in the Middle East much to cheer about by recently announcing its acquisition of Maktoob,  a regional competitor: see Arabian Business.

]]> Challenges for Private Equity in GCC - Sultan AlQassemihttp://www.hbgholdings.com/rssfeed/88.htmlSeptember 26th, 2009Sultan Al-Qassemi comments in his blog, Challenges for Private Equity in the GCC, about the nature and accessibility of private equity capital in the Middle East. His perspective is interesting as he himself is an experienced investor and knows the regional landscape very well.

]]> Super talent leaving Londonhttp://www.hbgholdings.com/rssfeed/84.htmlSeptember 25th, 2009Fiona Sheffield of E&Y on CNBC talking about threat of hedge fund exodus from London.

]]> Are private equity fees justifiedhttp://www.hbgholdings.com/rssfeed/83.htmlSeptember 25th, 2009The subject of private equity fees stirs up much emotion amongst industry participants and commentators. It's frustrating for practioners to see news articles (like the one attached) confusing the rationale for charging fees with the quantum being charged.

]]> Private equity good or badhttp://www.hbgholdings.com/rssfeed/81.htmlSeptember 22nd, 2009Interesting interview on SKY News with private equity spokesperson Catherine Woodthorpe. It is worth a look if you want to learn more about private equity and hear an industry insider defend its reputation.

]]> Dubai World litmus test for Dubai Inchttp://www.hbgholdings.com/rssfeed/78.htmlSeptember 22nd, 2009Dubai World - the state-owned conglomerate - with interests ranging from ports to property and investment, is being watched closely as it symbolises the acute problems facing Dubai in the wake of the financial crisis.

]]> Private equity groups adapt to new landscapehttp://www.hbgholdings.com/rssfeed/77.htmlSeptember 21st, 2009A number of large private equity firms including Candover, Permira and TPG have recently frozen or downsized their latest buy-out funds.

]]> Private equity investors focusing on secondary markethttp://www.hbgholdings.com/rssfeed/73.htmlSeptember 21st, 2009The financial crisis has adversely impacted private equity fundraising but a recent survey of 250 investors by Almeida Capital found that 78 per cent of investors had either bought a private equity position in the secondary market or expected to do so soon.

 

]]> Mideast private equity declines sharply but UAE still tops GCC rankinghttp://www.hbgholdings.com/rssfeed/22.htmlAugust 04th, 2009The sheer breadth and depth of the financial crisis has taken everybody by surprise and financial services are amongst the worst hit sectors. Nevertheless, even in these turbulent times the UAE has emerged as the best performing geography for private equity deals according to a report by Business 24|7 but the report also went on to say that overall M&A and private equity activity declined sharply in H1 2009.

]]> Changing Role of Private Equity Post Economic Crisishttp://www.hbgholdings.com/rssfeed/13.htmlJune 02nd, 2009There is little doubt as to the role expanding credit has played in bringing about the current recession. An increasing number of economists believe this recession is the start of a long-term deleveraging of the global economy. They are not without reason: US credit market debt as a percentage of GDP currently stands at 350%. The only other significant rise historically was during the Great Depression.

]]> Private Equity in Emerging Markets continues to attract LP s attentionhttp://www.hbgholdings.com/rssfeed/16.htmlApril 16th, 2009The Emerging Markets (EMs) Private Equity Survey is conducted by the Emerging Markets Private Equity Association on an annual basis. The survey researches the investment patterns, likes and dislikes of Limited Partners, representing North America (47%), Europe (41%) and Rest of the World (12%), for investment flows into the Emerging Markets.

]]> Private Equity the industry continues to maturehttp://www.hbgholdings.com/rssfeed/10.htmlApril 07th, 2009Private Equity is well positioned in these difficult times to capitalize on lower valuations and provide much needed liquidity when funding is scarce but growth still anticipated. This is according to the 2008 annual report by Gulf Venture Capital Association (GCVA)

]]>