Equity investment

Private-equity investment in the UK reached just £2bn in the first quarter of 2009, according to the Centre for Management Buy-out Research (CMBOR) at Nottingham University, with two thirds of this total from just one deal.

This compares to £1.3bn in the fourth quarter of 2008 - the lowest quarter for more than 13 years.

CMBOR, a provider of research and analysis on the private-equity market, sponsored by Barclays Private Equity, also reported that deal numbers declined to just 61 in the first quarter, from 92 in the fourth quarter and 152 in the same period in 2008.

'We are witnessing a market showing little sign of life,' said Christiian Marriott, director at Barclays Private Equity. 'The very quiet first quarter is likely to lead to a very quiet 2009 and we expect few signs of green shoots of recovery.'

Analysis of CMBOR's findings reveals that public-to-private transactions during the first quarter of 2009 accounted for more than 71 per cent of all deals by value (£1.4bn) from five delistings.