Private equity (PE) deals in the real estate and infrastructure space grossed about $3 billion in value during the first nine months of 2008, over 9 per cent lower than the year-ago period. Moreover, PE investors, who had been cherry-picking realty deals earlier this year, appear to have tightened their purse strings now, with September seeing only two transactions worth $12 million compared with August, when $427 million of PE funds was infused into various projects. According to data compiled by Grant Thornton, while the number of deals during January-September was higher at 45 against last year’s 39 deals, the average ticket size of the transactions has come down substantially in the first three quarters of 2008, reflecting softening valuations across the crisis-ridden real estate sector. Realty companies have been facing a severe cash crunch with bank loans drying up. Their problems have been compounded by plunging sales and weak demand. […]

One of the largest global private equity (PE) fund was close to finalising a deal with a north-based company. However, following the changes in the global economic environment, the fund’s US-headquarters instructed the Indian arm to go slow over the deal citing concerns over the falling valuations. There are many such instances where deals are taking a longer time to close or at times PE firms are going back on their commitments. Compared to the first nine months of last year, this year has seen a dip in the number of transactions as well as the ticket size. Private equity firms have begun to cherry pick on deals and are becoming cautious in their investment strategy, unlike in the past where there was too much money chasing such deals. […]

Private equity firms that are going through troubled times across the world, have resorted to various alternatives including diversification of their portfolio to adjust to the present economic constraints. PE firms are mainly diversifying into infrastructure assets, debt funds and energy technology investments, as institutional investors believe there would be stable cash flows into these sectors. “I think what you are going to see is a natural evolution of firms taking their networks and their brand into other fields where they can get a return,” global PE and investment advisory firm CVC Capital Partners Partner Marc St John said. PricewaterhouseCoopers in its Global Private Equity Report 2008 has said “private equity firms are taking advantage of financial turmoil to diversify either by buying new investment businesses from within troubled banks or by hiring experienced investment banking executives who can spearhead expansion into new asset classes and geographies.” […]

As the global credit crisis casts its spell on the private equity (PE) firms in India, fund-raising has witnessed a significant dip. India-dedicated firms raised $1.8 billion through five funds in the second quarter of this financial year, down 60% compared to the same period a year ago when 11 funds worth $4.5 billion were raised by PE firms. The total size of the funds raised during 2007 calendar year stood at $8.4 billion, according to a study by Venture Intelligence, a firm that tracks private equity and venture capital in India. […]