News & Analysis

Underlining how the credit crunch is impacting on transforming markets, a mixture of Russian developers and retailers have held crisis talks with the government over accessing finance.

The coming year could see prices drop in the US by as much as 20 percent next year, according to research by real estate investment firm Blumberg Capital Partners. Buying opportunities exist, CEO Philip Blumberg argued, though the commercial real estate market would not bottom out until mid-2009 or 2010.

The Boston-based private equity real estate arm of Fidelity Investments, run by Michael Elizondo, is seeking investor approval to spin out on its own.

TPG, Alchemy Partners and Permira have all been linked with a possible deal for debt related to Icelandic investor Baugur’s UK retail investments, which include House of Fraser, Debenhams and the iconic toy store, Hamleys.

Simpson Thacher & Bartlett, the law firm for private equity and real estate heavyweights like Blackstone, KKR and JC Flowers, will guide the government as it spends up to $250bn purchasing equity stakes in banks.

Following the defection of a senior team to JER, GE Real Estate has redeployed a senior figure in Asia to Central Europe.

David Snow has some ideas for the US government, now the largest private equity firm in the world.

The C$52bn Canadian pension plan with an in-house private equity arm has followed in the footsteps of the Ontario’s Teachers’ Pension Plan and the Canada Pension Plan Investment Board by crossing the pond to source deals.

Concern is mounting that EU legislators will introduce new rules for financial services in general that will do disproportionate damage to private equity in Europe.

Reports that Blackstone had abandoned plans to acquire a majority stake in a new Shanghai development were scotched by the seller, VXL Capital. VXL admitted though the closing date for the deal had been pushed back slightly.