Institutions and financial advisers continue to view alternative investments optimistically, despite their questionable performance, correlation and liquidity during last year’s global downturn, according to a survey by Morningstar and Barron’s. The majority of participants to the survey said they plan to increase allocations to alternatives, but with greater scrutiny and

Bain Capital has signed definitive agreement to acquire Citigroup’s controlling stake in Japan’s call centre operator, BellSystem24, in a tender offer valuing the company at approximately JPY100bn (USD1.1bn). Bain Capital has received committed financing for the transaction from Japan’s largest banks – Sumitomo Mitsui Banking, The Bank of Tokyo-Mitsubishi UFJ

CambridgeSoft has completed a private equity investment by Health Evolution Partners and a follow-on investment by Goldman Sachs. CambridgeSoft is a supplier of discovery, collaboration, and knowledge management research IT enterprise solutions, desktop software, scientific databases and consulting services for the pharmaceutical, biotechnology, and chemical industries. Health Evolution chairman David

Sun Capital Partners, a private investment firm specialising in leveraged buyouts and other investments in companies, has sold its affiliated portfolio company Timothy’s Coffees of the World to Green Mountain Coffee Roasters for approximately USD157m in cash, subject to adjustment. Timothy’s is a supplier of specialty coffees to offices, hotels,

Investcorp’s Gulf Opportunity Fund is to acquire a 20 per cent stake in Gulf Cryo, the Al Huneidi family-owned company that manufactures industrial, medical and specialty gases in the Middle East. Gulf Cryo was founded in Kuwait in 1953 by the Al Huneidi family and has expanded over two generations

Windsor-based Cogenta Systems has opened a data management centre in Newcastle following a GBP800,000 investment, including GBP350,000 by venture capital firm NorthStar Equity Investors. The investment by NSEI came from its Co-Investment Fund, while an additional GBP450,000 was raised by Hotspur Capital Partners. Cogenta Systems, which sits in the price

A study by Preqin has found that 89 per cent of private equity investors in Central and Eastern European focused funds intend to maintain or increase their exposure to the region over the longer-term. Over the past decade, the private equity market in Central and Eastern Europe has drawn a

HarbourVest Global Private Equity, a closed-end investment company listed on Euronext Amsterdam, has reported an estimated net asset value of is USD656.4m, or USD7.91 per share, as at 31 October 2009. This represents a 0.1 per cent increase from the 30 September 2009 estimated NAV per share of USD7.90. The

Online real estate broker Redfin has completed a USD10m series D financing led by Greylock Partners. Existing Redfin investors Madrona Venture Group, Draper Fisher Jurvetson, Vulcan Capital and The Hillman Company also participated in the round. This new investment brings the total capital raised by Redfin to USD30.8m. James Slavet