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Private equity
Prefer small-/mid-cap buyouts in US/emerging markets;
UBS View distressed debt in Europe
¢ Global M&A volume has continued its downward trend since Q4 2010, falling by -20% quarter-by-quarter
in Q3 2012, with a drastic decline in Europe of -46%, the third lowest quarter since 2001. However, private
equity withstood the negative M&A environment as global activity grew by +13% in Q3, and the US posted
its strongest quarter since Q3 2007. The importance of private equity in emerging markets continues to
grow, now accounting for 13% of global activity, strongly driven by Asia, but increasingly also by Africa.
e We prefer buyout strategies in North America, given reasonable valuations, liquid debt markets and our
house view of economic outperformance vs. Europe. Emerging markets offer compelling opportunities for
PE investors, especially outside the main hubs (China, Brazil), which have become expensive. Distressed
strategies which focus on acquiring complex/illiquid loan positions from banks in Europe are also attractive.
4 Positive scenario Prefer small-/mid-cap buyout and secondaries
e An abating Eurozone debt crisis and improved business confidence would increase deal flow and exit
opportunities for private equity managers, but would also increase entry prices. In such a positive scenario,
we would perceive commitment strategies to secondary funds as attractive for building exposure to an
invested private equity portfolio.
& Negative scenario Prefer distressed debt
e A renewed escalation of the debt crisis would significantly impact deal activity, the availability of debt
and company owners’ willingness to sell. At the same time, it would offer even more attractive
opportunities within distressed strategies and lower entry prices for long-term private equity investors.
Note: Scenarios refer to global economic scenarios (see slide 7)
What we're watching Why it matters
Credit markets In H1 2012, leveraged loan issuance, an important ingredient of PE activity,
dropped 17% y/y in the US, but over 41% in Europe. The US debt market is
much deeper than Europe, raising over EUR 153bn of leveraged debt, while
Europe achieved only EUR 16bn in 1H 12 at less attractive conditions.
Exit activity Exit activity is an important indicator for the health of the PE market and a key
return driver for investors. Despite the difficult macro environment,
distributions from portfolio sales (USD 69bn) have held up, and grew 20% yoy.
Sector activity Transactions in consumer discretionary and in energy & utilities remain the
most preferred sectors for private equity investors in 2012.
Recommendations
Strategic (1 to 2 years)
e In Europe, the ongoing deleveraging has
led to attractive opportunities for special
situations. We thus recommend pursuing
less liquid investment strategies with a
preference for debt to benefit from the
macroeconomic adjustment process and
selling pressure for many European banks.
We prefer small-/mid-cap buyouts in North
America given the better economic
outlook vs. Europe, higher transaction
certainty and more attractive entry prices.
Investors looking for downside protection
during economic uncertainty can consider
large-cap buyouts in the US, which offer
exposure to large, diversified companies
at more attractive prices and are
supported by liquid debt markets.
We advise investors make an ongoing
allocation to private equity in emerging
markets, which offer an attractive way to
capture superior long-term growth and
gain access to small-/mid-cap companies
unavailable on the stock market.
The US has seen its strongest quarter since
Q3 2007, while sentiment in Europe remains
weak
USD billions
Qi Q2 Q3 Q4 Qi Q2 Q3 4 Ql Q2 Q3
2010 2010 2010 2010 2011 2011 2011 2011 2012 2012 2012
— US Europe RoW
Source: S&P, UBS CIO, as of Octeber 2012
Note: Past performance is not an indication of future returns.
For further information please contact CIO's asset class specialist Stefan Bragger, stefan.braegger@ubs.com
UB S Please see important disclaimer and disclosures at the end of the document. 41
Note: We emphasize the equal importance of fund manager selection and the commitment strategy. Please note that private equity is an illiquid asset class and must be held at least until the end of the fund (10+ years).
Please note that UBS might not have a product available which reflects our UBS CIO private equity recommendations. Private equity is only suitable for qualified investors (> USD 5m investable assets).
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