Chart of the Week: Total Capital Raised by Month

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Data from PERE Research & Analytics has revealed that total capital raised for the first five months of 2014 overshadows capital raised during the same time a year prior. Capital raised between January through May in 2014 totalled approximately $52.18 billion while within the same time period in 2013 totalled $43.38 billion, a roughly 20% increase.

Despite the increase in capital raised for 2014, the total number of funds that closed in the time period was less than in the same time for 2013, with 91 funds closing in 2014 compared to the 127 in 2013. When broken down by month, 2013 is fairly stable to its 2014 counterpart, with each side fluctuating between which year raised the most capital in the month. March, however, was certainly the greatest fundraising month for 2014, representing approximately 37% of total capital raised for the time period. Debt and opportunity funds make up the majority of capital raised in March for 2014, raising $8.6 billion and $7.34 billion respectfully. One fund alone counts for over a third of capital for the month. That fund was the Blackstone Real Estate Partners Europe IV, managed by The Blackstone Group, a Pan-European opportunity fund which raised €5.1 billion ($6.95 billion).