Private Equity

Private equity funds raised $132.2bn in first quarter of 2020

The coronavirus pandemic’s bite is expected to significantly slow fundraising for private equity investments

Private equity firms worldwide pulled in a near record amount of capital during the first quarter amid the spreading coronavirus outbreak and government-mandated shutdowns. But fundraising experts say that the momentum will be short lived.

Investors pledged about $132.2bn to private equity funds globally during the just-ended quarter, or around 11.5% more than the $118.6bn collected by the industry in the same period of last year, data from Preqin shows. The most recent total trails by just 1.6% the near-record of $134.4bn reached in the first quarter of 2017, a year when industry fundraising peaked at $628bn, according to Preqin data.

WSJ Logo
Pro Bono or Pro Nono? Law Firms Split on Fulfilling Deals With TrumpExternal link

Pro Bono or Pro Nono? Law Firms Split on Fulfilling Deals With Trump