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Big-name private equity firms are asking for bigger cuts of investment profits

Dan Primack, author of Pro Rata

There is lots of private equity talk right now about "super carry," following a Financial Times story about how some big-name firms are asking for a bigger cut of investment profits.

The big picture: Carried interest, the percentage of profits taken by fund managers, has historically been 20% for private equity. But the FT reports on 30% carry structures in new funds from Altor, Bain Capital, The Carlyle Group, EQT Partners, Eurazeo and Vista Equity Partners.

What's happening: Recent PE returns have been strong, giving general partners more negotiating leverage over prospective limited partners. Kind of like right before the financial crisis.

  • But one important difference is that some of these funds also come with lower fixed management fees, or choose-your-own-structures that Bain Capital pioneered several years ago. That matters because many LPs believe that such a trade-off creates a stronger alignment of interest — whereas the 2006-2007 carry increases were cash grabs without concessions.
  • Plus, buyout fund hold periods are shrinking a bit, meaning that LPs can get have more timely performance data when making new commitments.

My thought bubble: To be clear, I typically side with limited partners when it comes to fee structures. It's their money. But "super carry" seems more worthy of a deep sigh than hyperventilation.

Go deeper: Low-risk investments are fueling more private equity repurchases

Go deeper

Jonathan Swan
14 mins ago - Politics & Policy
Off the Rails

Episode 4: Trump turns on Barr

Photo illustration: Eniola Odetunde/Axios. Photos: Drew Angerer, Pool/Getty Images

Beginning on election night 2020 and continuing through his final days in office, Donald Trump unraveled and dragged America with him, to the point that his followers sacked the U.S. Capitol with two weeks left in his term. Axios takes you inside the collapse of a president with a special series.

Episode 4: Trump torches what is arguably the most consequential relationship in his Cabinet.

Attorney General Bill Barr stood behind a chair in the private dining room next to the Oval Office, looming over Donald Trump. The president sat at the head of the table. It was Dec. 1, nearly a month after the election, and Barr had some sharp advice to get off his chest. The president's theories about a stolen election, Barr told Trump, were "bullshit."

Go deeper (6 min. read)Arrow
Rebecca Falconer
5 hours ago - Politics & Policy

In photos: Protests outside fortified capitols draw only small groups

Armed members of the far-right extremist group the Boogaloo Bois near the Michigan Capitol Building in Lansing on Jan. 17. About 20 protesters showed up, AP notes. Photo: Seth Herald/AFP via Getty Images

Small groups of protesters gathered outside fortified statehouses across the U.S. over the weekend ahead of President-elect Joe Biden's inauguration Wednesday.

The big picture: Some protests attracted armed members of far-right extremist groups but there were no reports of clashes, as had been feared. The National Guard and law enforcement outnumbered demonstrators, as security was heightened around the U.S. to avoid a repeat of the Jan. 6 U.S. Capitol riots, per AP.

See photos (<1 min. read)Arrow
Felix Salmon, author of Capital
8 hours ago - World

China's economy grows 6.5% in Q4 as country rebounds from coronavirus

A technician installs and checks service robots to be be used for food and medicine delivery in Jiaxing, Zhejiang Province, China, on Sunday. Photo: Hu Xuejun/VCG via Getty Images

China's economy grew at a 6.5% pace in the final quarter of 2020, the national statistics bureau announced Monday local time, topping off a year in which it grew in three of four quarters and by 2.3% in total.

Why it matters: No other major economy managed positive growth in 2020. Although the COVID-19 pandemic was first detected in China, the country got the virus under control and became one of the main positive drivers of the global economy even as the rest of the world was largely under lockdown.

Go deeper (<1 min. read)Arrow