On a long enough horizon, returns for PE funds of all sizes converge

By and large, the macroeconomic environment remains the most significant factor to bear in mind when assessing long-term private equity fund performance. Given the impact of the financial crisis, it makes sense that no matter the size of the fund in question, at the longest time horizon—10 years—internal rates of return (IRRs) have by and large converged. Following the typical J-curve of fund performance, at that point in the conventional fund lifecycle most assets that end up contributing to the majority of a fund’s return have already been sold...

Recent PE vintages outpace public indices by a smaller margin

Private equity funds of vintages 2005 and prior exhibit significant outperformance of public indices, employing the Russell 3000 Index for public market equivalents calculations. Since then, however, no vintage has exceeded 8% over public indices’ performance. There are many factors behind this particular trend, not the least of which is the impact of the financial crisis, which prolonged holding periods as managers worked to proof impacted companies...