Limited partners showed strong support for US and European private equity funds in the second quarter, helping both regions achieve the best first half for fund-raising since 2008, according to Dow Jones LP Source. In the first half of 2012, US private equity funds raised USD86bn for 235 funds, a

UK M&A activity totalled GBP44.4bn in the first half of 2012, representing a 17.5 per cent increase in deal value compared to H1 2011. In addition, the Q2 total of GBP28.4bn represented the best second three months of the year since Q2 2007 (GBP68.8bn), according to data released by MergerMarket.

PsiOxus Therapeutics has closed a series B round of equity financing totalling GBP22m (USD34m). The round included equal investments from existing investors Imperial Innovations Group and Invesco Perpetual together with new investments by SR One and Lundbeckfond Ventures.   The financing round will enable PsiOxus to advance the clinical development

Markets are giving huge premiums to next generation internet and technology companies, while industry “gorillas” with gold standard business models and proven track records are being valued as failures, according to analysis by Magister Advisors, M&A advisors to the technology industry. For example, next generation players such as LinkedIn and

Maven has completed the exit from Nessco Group via a GBP31m sale to RigNet, a Nasdaq quoted US telecoms business. The sale generated a 3.7x return on Maven clients’ original investment. Since Maven’s original investment in June 2008, Nessco’s annual revenues have increased to over GBP30m and earnings have grown

Encore Housing Opportunity Fund, a private equity fund based in San Francisco, will launch is second opportunistic fund in July 2012.  Encore Housing Opportunity Fund II will focus on investing in non-performing residential and mixed-use real estate, primarily in California, Arizona, Florida, Nevada and Texas.  Fund II marks a geographic

Private equity firms invested about USD1,848m across 102 deals during the quarter ended June 2012, according to a study by Venture Intelligence, a research service focused on private equity and M&A transaction activity in India. The investment amount was 34 per cent less than that invested in the same period

Baker & McKenzie has advised AXA Private Equity on its acquisition from the private equity arm of Ontario Municipal Employees Retirement System (OMERS) of a portfolio of 11 private equity fund investments and the related unfunded commitments. The portfolio represents a total size of approximately USD850m in original commitments, in

Investment bank Harris Williams has advised on the sale of Drayer Physical Therapy Institute to affiliates of GS Capital Partners. Drayer was a portfolio company of Linden Capital Partners, which invested in Drayer in a 2008 recapitalisation along with management. Harris Williams acted as the exclusive financial adviser to Drayer.