On the private equity boom.

• Author: Rees, Matthew
• Position: Private equity - Brief article

"In 2006, private equity firms bought 654 U.S. companies for a record $375 billion, says Thomson Financial. That was 18 times the level in 2003.... Over the past twenty years, buyout firms have averaged annual returns of 13.2 percent, says Thomson. By contrast, the stocks in the Standard & Poor's 500 index have averaged only 9.7...