Private equity

The great debate about listed private equity trusts goes on. With some of the biggest trusts trading on persistent 40-50% discounts, the share prices either represent tremendous bargains or are advertising a warning that the sector is heading for a painful meeting with reality - but which is it? As regular readers will know, although I have long held a shareholding in HG Capital (HGT), I have never had much enthusiasm for private equity as a class. While happily acknowledging that private ownership in the right hands is often a superior business model, and the returns have b...