* Blackstone-Centro shopping mall deal lifts total
* Deal prices still below 2006-2007 peak
* Real estate, health care, industrials dominate
* UBS, Barclays top private equity advisory rankings
By Megan Davies
LONDON, March 4 (Reuters) - Private equity dealflow is
bouncing back, with the value of deals so far this year up 88
percent from last year, lifted by a $9.4 billion deal by
Blackstone Group LP (BX.N) to buy U.S. shopping malls from
Australia's Centro Properties (CNP.AX).
Figures from Thomson Reuters show that private
equity-backed mergers and acquisitions have totaled $36.3
billion for the year to date.
Private equity executives expect that to continue. At a
conference in Berlin this week, David Bonderman, the co-founder
of TPG Capital [TPG.UL] said a $10 billion to $15 billion
leveraged buyout deal would be possible right now as financing
is again available on attractive terms. [ID:nLDE7221V6]
Private equity deal sizes have been increasing since the
credit crisis cut off access to cheap debt. But deal size,
which has mostly rebounded to the $3 billion to $5 billion,
remains far lower than the double-digit billion figures hit in
2006 and 2007.
Bonderman said while there isn't as much volume as in those
"halcyon days," financing is in fact available on "attractive
terms."
The lion's share of dealflow came from the real estate,
healthcare and industrials sectors, Thomson Reuters data show.
UBS AG (UBSN.VX) and Barclays Plc's (BARC.L) Barclays
Capital top the advisory rankings for private equity-backed M&A
for the year to date, according to the data. (Editing by Gerald E.
McCormick)
Source: Reuters.Com
