2007 PE Outlook

Following an increasing trend in LBO volume in 2006(Thanks to PE Week Wire/Buyout Magazine Data), 2007 should remain very active in terms of volume, geography (More Europe, Asia and Latin America?) and financial engineering scope.

I am particularly interested in the effect of global trends such as the euro/dollar performance in ’06 that could see an intense trans-atlantic M&A environment (10% discount!), and continuation of a global liquidity surplus that could boost fundraising to all time historical levels for the PE industry. New IPOs or exits by recently acquired companies as well as a couple of very large LBOs could be the surprise for ’07.