Resources
Principal content
Private equity
Private equity has attracted opprobium from politicians, unions and even public companies which complain that the industry is secretive, unscrupulous and unaccountable. The leaders of private equity businesses have reacted with a mixture of astonishment and hurt. Defenders have argued that the high fees are justified by high returns and tighter management discipline. - -
Private equity
Private equity has entered the mainstream. Scarcely a day passes without a bid, a fundraising exercise or a high profile CEO joining a private equity house. Debenhams,...
Secretive sector steps into the glare of publicity
The buy-out kings are learning to cope with their new-found fame. Peter Smith reports
Private equity's darkest moments
*February 2002 - The State of Connecticut sues Forstmann Little to recover $125m lost in deals where the group bought minority stakes in telecoms companies at the...
PERFORMANCE: The enigma of private equity
Josh Lerner, the Jacob H. Schiff Professor of Investment Banking at Harvard Business School, offers four lessons for understanding private equity investment
THE FUNDAMENTALS: Limits are put to the test
Peter Smith takes a look at a wonder of 21st century capitalism and explains how it all works
COMMENT AND OPINION: Barbarians at the gates
Is private equity a provider of better efficiency or are practitioners financial manipulators and asset-strippers? Martin Wolf considers the arguments
COMMENT AND OPINION: The recipe for success
A good company, talent and a bold investment plan, advises Clive Hollick
BOOM AND BUST: Ego, debt and a quest for higher deals
To many on Wall Street, the succession of record-making deals is the function of a new era of fierce competition among the top executives at the largest private equity groups, writes James Politi
BOOM AND BUST: Things may start to look murkier
The flip side of record deals is that funds are pushing the boundaries of what they do, writes Thorold Barker
GOING PRIVATE: Life on the other side
Buy-out business offers an escape from tough regulation and shareholder demands, but it has pitfalls, write Francesco Guerrera and James Politi
