Kohlberg Kravis Roberts has become by far the most active firm in the booming private equity industry in 2007, sealing $122.5bn worth of deals since January, more than it secured in the previous two years combined.

Including the record $45bn buy-out of TXU, the Texas-based energy group, and the $20bn takeover of Alliance Boots, the UK drug store chain, KKR has grabbed a 44.1 per cent share of all global private equity deal volumes in 2007, according to Dealogic. This compares with its near-20 per cent average share of global buy-out volumes since the beginning of 2004.