A Passing Summer Cloud?

by Imad Ghandour September 1, 2007

written by Imad Ghandour September 1, 2007

Loans will go bad, deals will be canceled, fortunes will be lost, and the sudden end of cheap financing is wreaking havoc on the buyout market, reported Fortune magazine. Just open the Wall Street Journal or CNBC, and you will hear these same headlines repeated everyday. The news about the financial meltdown is all over the media, with the death toll rising by the day. First it was the sub-prime lenders, then prime mortgage lenders, then hedge funds, then investment banks. Even some money market funds, the safest of the safest, are witnessing a rush of withdrawals. The private equity party, in its latest round in the US and Europe, was a classic bubble waiting to burst. The combination of low interest rates, depressed stock prices, and rising corporate profits created ideal conditions for private equity firms to flourish. With the abundant supply of debt and highly leveraged acquisitions, even

Imad Ghandour

Imad is the Co-founder and Managing Director of CedarBridge, an investment company focusing on high-growth opportunities in education, healthcare, wellness & beauty, and retail in Europe and MENA. With over 15 years of experience in private equity across MENA, the UK, and China, he serves on several boards, including SAE Arabia and The Grooming Company. He has also served as a director for major organizations like CIRA, Maarif Education, and Metito. Imad co-founded the MENA Private Equity Association, is a member of the British Venture Capital Association, and holds an Engineering degree from the American University of Beirut and an MBA from the University of Wisconsin – Madison.

A Passing Summer Cloud?

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