Unlike buying a few shares in a public company, private equity (PE) investment is a commitment that cannot be taken lightly. That is perhaps why most experts believe some two-thirds of institutional PE investors are on the sidelines waiting for better days. Who can blame them? Just like any other asset class in the region, PE is still licking its wounds after the beating that it took from the public markets, not to mention the de-leveraging costs that PE firms and portfolio companies across the region continue to shoulder as they brace themselves for a dismal year to come. Accordingly, it’s little wonder that most institutional investors who are willing to deploy money would rather consider more liquid investment options than further investment in PE, even at current market valuations. “The nature of the private equity funds, reputed for their long term investment horizon, is not an attractive attribute for
