BloggingStocks http://www.bloggingstocks.com BloggingStocks http://www.blogsmithmedia.com/http://www.bloggingstocks.com/media/feedlogo.gif BloggingStocks http://www.bloggingstocks.com en-us Copyright 2012 Weblogs, Inc. The contents of this feed are available for non-commercial use only. Blogsmith http://www.blogsmith.com/<![CDATA[Private Equity Fundraising Up, but Still Soft]]>http://www.bloggingstocks.com/2010/04/01/private-equity-fundraising-up-but-still-soft/http://www.bloggingstocks.com/2010/04/01/private-equity-fundraising-up-but-still-soft/http://www.bloggingstocks.com/2010/04/01/private-equity-fundraising-up-but-still-soft/#commentsFiled under: ,

Last year was a tough one for the private equity business, but the first quarter of 2010 showed some improvement. In the last three months, according to a statement from private equity research firm Preqin, $50.4 billion in fresh capital was raised, an increase of 5% from the fourth quarter of 2009. Nonetheless, fundraising levels remain low, and it's still a challenge to raise money. In the second quarter, Preqin anticipates a "more substantial recovery in fundraising."

Seventy-nine funds achieved final close in Q1, up slightly from the previous quarter, but it took longer than in the past to finish raising funds. On average, it took 19.1 months for funds to close, double the average time it took in 2004. But investor sentiment is improving, Preqin has found. Fifty-one percent of investors surveyed in December 2009 indicated that they would be investing more in private equity this year, with only 8% planning to cut back their private equity allocations.

Continue reading Private Equity Fundraising Up, but Still Soft

Private Equity Fundraising Up, but Still Soft originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Thu, 01 Apr 2010 11:10:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>fundraisinginthenewspreginprivate equityThu, 01 Apr 2010 11:10:00 EST<![CDATA[Private equity returns down, still plenty of cash on the sidelines ]]>http://www.bloggingstocks.com/2009/08/02/private-equity-returns-down-still-plenty-of-cash-on-the-sidelin/http://www.bloggingstocks.com/2009/08/02/private-equity-returns-down-still-plenty-of-cash-on-the-sidelin/http://www.bloggingstocks.com/2009/08/02/private-equity-returns-down-still-plenty-of-cash-on-the-sidelin/#commentsFiled under:

Private equity returns are down 27.6% year-over-year for the 12-month period ending July 30, 2009, according to a Preqin report received by BloggingStocks. The London-based research house notes, however, that the global private equity industry's dry powder (i.e., uncommitted assets) continues to exceed $1 trillion, suggesting that there is still plenty of capital waiting for a rainy day.

Returns for the past 12 months reflect all the nastiness we've seen and lived -- bailouts, company collapses, equity and credit market mayhem and unemployment rates dangerously close to double-digits. But, the money is still coming in. Preqin puts the rate by which contributions outpaced distributions at 235% for buyout funds in 2008. This category raised $148 billion while distributing only $63 billion, making last year the most imbalanced for these two measures in history.

Continue reading Private equity returns down, still plenty of cash on the sidelines

Private equity returns down, still plenty of cash on the sidelines originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Sun, 02 Aug 2009 11:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>buyoutbuyout financingbuyout fundsbuyoutscredit crisiseconomic crisisfinancial crisisfundraisingprivate equityprivate equity fundsreal estatereal estate fundventure capitalventure financialventure fundingSun, 02 Aug 2009 11:30:00 EST<![CDATA[Private Equity: Plenty of powder or getting plowed?]]>http://www.bloggingstocks.com/2009/03/25/private-equtity-plenty-of-powder-or-getting-plowed/http://www.bloggingstocks.com/2009/03/25/private-equtity-plenty-of-powder-or-getting-plowed/http://www.bloggingstocks.com/2009/03/25/private-equtity-plenty-of-powder-or-getting-plowed/#commentsFiled under: , , ,

Quadrangle Group, a powerful investment bank and private equity player headed by Steven Rattner (the on-again, off-again Car Czar for the Obama team), has stopped trying to raise money for it's new private equity fund, according to PE Hub. Private equity has certainly gotten a bad rap of late, with many market seers claiming that the whole PE industry was headed for a giant blowup.

The percentage of deals done by private equity shops fell by over 50% in 2008. Many of the university endowments and state and municipal pension funds that had been key patrons of PE fundraisers are now so far underwater that they can't even conceive of coughing up cash for PE, let alone explaining why they are reserving money for an asset class that looked incredibly toxic in 2008. Certainly, the PE sector will bounce back because every single pension and endowment fund manager will chase the highest returns, even if there is no strong statistical research that PE profers higher returns (or even any returns) over time.

Alex Salkever is Director of Research at Piqqem.com, a stock research community powered by the Wisdom of Crowds.

Private Equity: Plenty of powder or getting plowed? originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Wed, 25 Mar 2009 15:40:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>fundraisinginthenewprivate equityPrivateEquityquadranglegroupRattnerWed, 25 Mar 2009 15:40:00 EST<![CDATA[Money losers of 2008: Mitt Romney ran for president and all he got was ...]]>http://www.bloggingstocks.com/2008/12/28/money-losers-of-2008-mitt-romney-ran-for-president-and-all-he-g/http://www.bloggingstocks.com/2008/12/28/money-losers-of-2008-mitt-romney-ran-for-president-and-all-he-g/http://www.bloggingstocks.com/2008/12/28/money-losers-of-2008-mitt-romney-ran-for-president-and-all-he-g/#commentsFiled under:

This post is part of our feature on Money Losers of 2008. See all 20.

Willard Mitt Romney, governor of Massachusetts from 2003 to 2007, was the wealthiest of all the 2008 presidential candidates. When he formally announced his candidacy for the Republican nomination for president on February 13, 2007, the former venture capitalist was believed to have amassed a fortune worth as much as $250 million.

After the first fundraiser for his presidential campaign committee on January 9, 2007, Romney had already brought in $6.5 million, more than the amounts raised by any other Republican contender. Meg Whitman, CEO of eBay and a former colleague of Romney, signed on as a financial co-chair of his presidential campaign. And first quarter 2007 fund-raising information showed Romney leading the Republican field with more than $23 million, though that was less than funds raised by Democratic contenders Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama in the same period. Fund-raising results for the second quarter revealed that Romney had lent $8.9 million to his campaign from his personal funds, as well as that he had spent $20.7 million, more than any other Republican candidate. By the end of 2007, he had raised $88.5 million, but $35.4 million of that came from his own pocket.

Winning the money race, strategically outspending other candidates on advertising in the early primary states, and promising to donate his salary as president to charity (as he had done as governor) wasn't enough to secure Romney the nomination. He dropped out of the race after disappointing Super Tuesday results in February 2008, when opponent John McCain solidified his position as the party's frontrunner. Romney won only 11 state primaries and caucuses, 4.7 million votes, and 291 delegates. According to Federal Election Commission filings, all told, the campaign spent $113.6 million, $44.6 of which came from Romney himself.

Continue reading Money losers of 2008: Mitt Romney ran for president and all he got was ...

Money losers of 2008: Mitt Romney ran for president and all he got was ... originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Sun, 28 Dec 2008 15:40:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>2008 presidential election2012 presidential electionBarack Obamacampaign financefeaturedfundraisingHillary ClintonJohn McCainMeg WhitmanMitt RomneyMoney Losers 2008persidential nominationpresidential campaignspresidential electionRepublican PartySun, 28 Dec 2008 15:40:00 EST<![CDATA[eBay (EBAY)'s outgoing CEO jumps into politics]]>http://www.bloggingstocks.com/2008/03/17/ebay-ebay-s-outgoing-ceo-jumps-into-politics/http://www.bloggingstocks.com/2008/03/17/ebay-ebay-s-outgoing-ceo-jumps-into-politics/http://www.bloggingstocks.com/2008/03/17/ebay-ebay-s-outgoing-ceo-jumps-into-politics/#commentsFiled under: , , ,

Over the past ten years, eBay (NASDAQ: EBAY)'s CEO, Meg Whitman, has had a love / hate relationship with eBay users. No matter what your personal thoughts are regarding Whitman, you have to give it to her; she did take eBay to levels no one would have dreamed possible just ten years ago.

Well, her tenure at eBay is coming to an end, and her next move is into politics, working high up in Senator John McCain's Presidential campaign.

Back in January, Whitman announced that she would be stepping down from eBay to pursue philanthropy and politics, and her first big step is going to be serving as co-chair of Senator McCain's national presidential campaign.

While we still have not reached the point of McCain being announced the official Republican candidate for the upcoming election, it is all but a forgone conclusion that McCain is going to be the Republican's choice for November's pivotal election in America. After a rocky eight years with George Bush running the show, the Republicans are definitely going to have their hands full with this year's election, and Whitman is coming on board to have a leading role in the campaign's financing and policy development.

Continue reading eBay (EBAY)'s outgoing CEO jumps into politics

eBay (EBAY)'s outgoing CEO jumps into politics originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Mon, 17 Mar 2008 16:31:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>Barack ObamaBarackObamaCarly FiorinaCarlyFiorinaDemocratseBayelection 2008Election2008fund raisingFundRaisingGeorge BushGeorgeBushHillary ClintonHillaryClintoninthenewsJohn McCainJohnMccainMeg WhitmanMegWhitmanpoliticsPresidential CampaignPresidentialCampaignRepublicansMon, 17 Mar 2008 16:31:00 EST<![CDATA[Corporate sponsorship targets colleges]]>http://www.bloggingstocks.com/2007/08/02/corporate-sponsorship-targets-colleges/http://www.bloggingstocks.com/2007/08/02/corporate-sponsorship-targets-colleges/http://www.bloggingstocks.com/2007/08/02/corporate-sponsorship-targets-colleges/#commentsFiled under: , ,

Universities have been known to take donations from anyone willing to write a check. For those willing to donate significant amounts of money, usually alumni, there's sometimes an atrium, a street or even a building named after them as a tribute. Then renaming the University of Iowa's College of Public Health to The Wellmark Blue Cross & Blue Shield School of Public Health shouldn't turn too many heads. Right?

The University of Iowa is contemplating whether to rename its College of Public Health after the philanthropic arm of Blue Cross & Blue Shield in exchange for a $15M donation, USA Today reports. This has sparked debate on where universities should draw the line when accepting corporate gifts.

Continue reading Corporate sponsorship targets colleges

Corporate sponsorship targets colleges originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Thu, 02 Aug 2007 17:31:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>3comadvertisingcollegecomscorporatefundraisingmarketingsponosorshipsports marketingSportsMarketinguniversityThu, 02 Aug 2007 17:31:00 EST<![CDATA[Will Obama beat Romney?]]>http://www.bloggingstocks.com/2007/04/06/will-obama-beat-romney/http://www.bloggingstocks.com/2007/04/06/will-obama-beat-romney/http://www.bloggingstocks.com/2007/04/06/will-obama-beat-romney/#commentsFiled under:

While the official results of the first money primary won't be posted until April 15th, the unofficial results suggest that Mitt Romney was the Republican winner and Barack Obama topped the Democratic pack. Does this mean that Romney and Obama will win their respective party nominations? Of course not -- but it does reveal some interesting competitive dynamics.

What is the first money primary? It's a media concoction that compares how much money the 2008 candidates raised in the first reporting period ending March 31st. And it determines winners based on two criteria:

  • How the candidate did relative to expectations; and
  • How much money the candidate actually raised.

So even though Obama, who raised $25 million, brought in $1 million less than Hillary Clinton, he was perceived to have beaten Clinton because she was expected to raise much more than newcomer Obama. Meanwhile Romney -- who lags in the polls behind Rudolph Giuliani and John McCain -- simply raised much more money than his rivals.

Continue reading Will Obama beat Romney?

Will Obama beat Romney? originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Fri, 06 Apr 2007 12:14:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>Barack ObamaBarackObamaClintonClinton fundraising'Obama fundraisingClintonFundraising'obamaFundraisingfundraisingHillary ClintonHillaryClintonMitt RomneyMittRomneyObamaRomneyFri, 06 Apr 2007 12:14:00 EST