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Read Jon Moulton’s insightful analysis and comments about the markets…

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ICAEW
ICAEW | November 2023
Jon Moulton
Belief systems

Valuing portfolio companies has always been something of an art, but the only true valuation is on exit

ICAEW | October 2023
Jon Moulton
Lifelong Learning

It’s the quality of professional development rather than quantity per se that will maintain or improve standards

ICAEW | September 2023
Jon Moulton
Could, would or should?

Will recent pledges from pension funds to allocate cash to private equity achieve anything, asks Jon Moulton

ICAEW | June 2023
Jon Moulton
Acronyms taking over the asylum

There are too many acronyms – and the impact is far from abbreviated, says Jon Moulton.

ICAEW | May 2023
Jon Moulton
Politically exposed

If you do voluntary work, it may increase your chance of being rewarded with a title. Jon Moulton did the time, but feels like it’s being treated like a crime.

ICAEW | April 2023
Jon Moulton
The New Rules for Board Games

There’s no simple formula for putting together the right board of directors. If only there was, says Jon Moulton

ICAEW | March 2023
Jon Moulton
Night shift

Work-life balance has transformed the deal process. Times have changed, says Jon Moulton – but they changed earlier in his career, too

ICAEW | February 2023
Jon Moulton
Working it out

Many of our readers have not seen a recession of the scale likely in the near future, says Jon Moulton. How much can we learn from history?

PRIVATE EQUITY NEWS
PRIVATE EQUITY NEWS | November 2023
Jon Moulton
Continuation funds could change the world of exits. Plus, the risk of AI showing its ugly face

Numis have just done a poll of mid-market private equity firms in the UK. It shows some very interesting results. The compulsion felt by the need to do deals is illustrated by the odd fact that 53% of PE managers felt that private assets are more overvalued than public assets whereas their appetite for buying public assets has fallen drastically from 73% in 2022 to 14% today.

PRIVATE EQUITY NEWS | October 2023
Jon Moulton
Nothing new under the Sun: how LBO firms are becoming like super large publicly owned companies

I have lived in an evolving private equity world for more than 40 years and seen an immense growth in this asset class. Far and away the largest growth has been in buyouts, with the net asset value of the buyout universe increasing more than 100 fold in the past two decades. The aggregate portfolios are well in excess of $2tn.

PRIVATE EQUITY NEWS | September 2023
Jon Moulton
As private equity lawyers earn more and more, is it time for a standard set of legal documents for funds?

The Financial Times recently ran an article on the earnings of senior private equity lawyers – it seems £2m per annum is far from rare and that there are individuals making up to £20m a year.

PRIVATE EQUITY NEWS | August 2023
Jon Moulton
Summer brings welcome opportunities for enjoying corporate hospitality and eavesdropping on private equity conversations

I’m writing this immediately after watching the fantastic final match where a startup dramatically defeated a late-stage operation. A great privilege to watch.

PRIVATE EQUITY NEWS | July 2023
Jon Moulton
Regulations around public companies have contributed to squeezing out private investors

Generally, the UK stock markets are going backwards. The number of listed companies, full or AIM, is in long term decline.

PRIVATE EQUITY NEWS | June 2023
Jon Moulton
Will AI mean the end of the human touch in the private equity industry?

There is a lot in the press about the risks of artificial intelligence (AI), which is said to have the potential to lead to the extinction of humanity (one of the few accusations that mega-buyout firms have not had levelled against them).

PRIVATE EQUITY NEWS | May 2023
Jon Moulton
Jon Moulton Private Equity Pub Quiz

The industry ages and its history extends accordingly. This month for a bit of fun I've provided a short quiz to test your knowledge about the early days of the industry - the idea having been triggered by meeting a very old venture capitalist on holiday.

PRIVATE EQUITY NEWS | April 2023
Jon Moulton
Good-bye Silicon Valley Bank, hello bailout

Time to be humble. Silicon Valley Bank gave many a private equity soul a harrowing few days.

PRIVATE EQUITY NEWS | February 2023
Jon Moulton
Smooth-talking insiders have taken over from the gnarled old pros

Predictions about the year ahead from people in the PE industry are usually full of good news.

PRIVATE EQUITY NEWS | January 2023
Jon Moulton
Mantras change but the fundamentals are the same

Over the decades you can see that some things have not changed much.