Characteristics of private equity return: evidence from Brazil

Abstract

Private equity (PE) stands out significantly in the world as one of the main development tools of the capital market in emerging economies and alternative sources of finance for companies. Particularly, the increase in fund value and continuous returns are objects of intense study in Brazil. The paper aims to find determinants to Brazilian private equity returns, regarding three relevant variables funds characteristics and GDP to a macroeconomic view. A sample of 1,112 PE funds registered at the Brazilian Securities and Exchange Commission (CVM) was used and analyzed by three main variables: period of establishment, equity size, and exclusivity as possible determinants of funds’ performance using multiple regression model and fourth variable GDP is applied as a descriptive variable. The results indicate that older funds had a return premium of 1.5% monthly over young funds, smaller funds had a return premium of 1.4% over larger funds, and exclusivity does not influence the funds’ performance. Thus, the paper provides a basis for the relevant factors that an investor should verify in Brazil’s private equity fund before allocating the resources.