This paper examines the determinants of private equity returns using a newly constructed worldwide database of 7,500 investments made over forty years. The median investment IRR (PME) is 21% (1.3), gross of fees. One in ten investments goes bankrupt, whereas one in four has an IRR above 50%. Only one in eight investments is held for less than two years, but such investments have the highest returns. The scale of private equity firms is a significant driver of returns: investments held at times of a high number of simultaneous investments underperform substantially.
This paper examines the determinants of private equity returns using a newly constructed worldwide database of 7,500 investments made over forty years. The median investment IRR (PME) is 21% (1.3), gross of fees. One in ten investments goes bankrupt, whereas one in four has an IRR above 50%. Only one in eight investments is held for less than two years, but such investments have the highest returns. The scale of private equity firms is a significant driver of returns: investments held at times of a high number of simultaneous investments underperform substantially.
Type : | Working paper |
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Date : | 18/01/2011 |
Keywords : |
Private Equity |