Why Private Equity’s Playbook Is Losing to Public Markets

The viability of private equity compared to public markets has shifted due to higher interest rates and peak valuations from 2020 and 2021, making debt-financed buyouts harder. University of Chicago Booth professor Steven Kaplan notes this reversal in pattern since 2019, while PitchBook reports that the backlog of companies held by private equity firms is now over 33,000.