Private Investments in Diversified Portfolios

We study the impact of including private investment funds into diversified portfolios that otherwise hold only public stocks and bonds. Our analysis uses a large sample of 3,380 U.S. buyout, venture capital, and real estate funds to simulate portfolios from 1987 to 2018 that substitute part of the public equity allocation with private funds.
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Debt and Leverage in Private Equity: A Survey of Existing Results and New Findings

This paper examines leverage and debt financing in the private equity buyout market. We provide an overview of how debt is utilized in buyout investment structures and a review of existing theoretical and empirical academic literature. The analysis also includes results from new data sources with information on deal structure and performance since the global financial crisis (GFC). We document that leverage ratios (Net Debt / EBITDA) have increased substantially in recent years and the increase is even more pronounced after unwinding EBITDA “adjustments” which have become increasingly large.
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Should defined contribution plans include private equity investments?

Investors want access to the best performing assets for their portfolios. Driven by the strong performance of private investment funds in recent decades, many providers of defined-contribution (DC) investment services have advocated for broader access to private investments in these plans, such as 401(k)s.
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Private Equity: Accomplishments and Challenges

Since the 1980s, there has been an ongoing discussion about the role of private equity (PE) in the economy. As investors have flocked to the asset class, voices critical of the negative social impact of PE have grown louder. In this article, we examine what is known from the academic literature about the effects of private equity on corporate productivity, the returns for investors, and possible broader economic and social consequences.
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The Evolution of Private Equity Fund Value

This paper provides the first large-sample analysis of buyout and venture capital fund values over their lifetimes. Specifically, we examine interim fund investment multiples (TVPIs), internal rates of return (IRRs), and direct-alphas based on the current reported net asset values (NAVs) at each quarter of a fund’s life.
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Can Investors Time Their Exposure to Private Equity?

Private equity markets are highly cyclical. The aggregate amount of capital committed to the sector varies substantially from peak to trough, and many have observed that periods of high fundraising activity are followed by periods of low absolute performance for the asset class (see Harris, Jenkinson, and Kaplan, among others). This raises an important question: is it possible to market-time the allocations to private equity to avoid the cyclicality of performance?
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Business and Economic Impact of COVID-19

To help separate fact from fiction and legitimate concern from panic, the Kenan Institute of Private Enterprise and UNC Kenan-Flagler Business School convened six top faculty researchers to discuss the likely effects of the pandemic on business and the economy.
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Have Private Equity Returns Really Declined?

Kenan Institute Executive Director Greg Brown and University of Chicago Booth School of Business Professor Steve Kaplan have co-authored a new white paper assembling the most current, comprehensive performance data on U.S. private equity buyout funds available. Contrary to some recent articles, this research shows U.S. buyouts have consistently outperformed public markets in the post-crisis era.
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