Chart of the Week: Total Capital Raised by Month – 2014

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Data from PERE Research & Analytics has revealed that total of $83.6 billion had been raised between 162 funds in the first nine months of 2014. March saw the highest capital raised for the year, at $18.6 billion. This represents the highest capital raise for the month in the past seven years, indicating a growth of 87 percent from the prior year.  

Despite the significant amount of capital closed in March, the largest fund to close in the year came in July. That fund being the debt-focused Lone Star Fund IX which raised $7.4 billion to invest globally. In 2013, it was actually the month of July that saw the largest capital raised at $20.4 billion, representing a decrease of 71 percent in 2014. 

Debt funds have been the dominant strategy 2014, accounting for 32 percent of the total, while European-focused funds has led all other regions in total capital raised at $29.9 billion, accounting for 36 percent. While Europe had a boost in capital raised form the same time a year prior, two of the top three fundraising regions faced a dip in 2014. North American fundraising dipped by 23 percent while Asia-Pacific capital dropped by 44 percent. Despite this dip in capital in most other regions, 2014 is on track to surpass the prior years’ total, indicating a stronger market since the financial crisis.