April 2019: Private Equity Digest

In market news, U.S. private equity fundraising continued to trend downward in March continuing the slide since January, with 18 funds closed in March with a total value of $21.4 billion, compared to 27 funds closed in January with a total value of $36.6 billion.  U.S. sponsor-backed exits were mixed, with a slight increase in deal numbers and a slight decrease in disclosed dollar volume in March compared to February, although still down in both categories compared to January.  The low numbers of IPOs in recent months compared to historical norms is particularly noteworthy.  Global sponsor-related M&A activity was up, with an increase in both deal numbers and disclosed dollar volume in March compared to February.  U.S. sponsor-related M&A activity was mixed, with a decrease in disclosed dollar volume in March compared to February, but an increase in deal numbers in March compared to February.