Analysis: Private equity’s swoop on listed European firms runs into rising execution risks

By Joice Alves, Emma-Victoria Farr and Sinead Cruise LONDON (Reuters) – European listed companies have not been this cheap for more than a decade, yet for private equity firms looking to put their cash piles to work, costlier financing and stronger resistance from businesses are complicating dealmaking. Sharp falls in the value of the euro and sterling coupled with the deepest trading discounts of European stocks versus global peers seen since March 2009, have fuelled a surge in take-private interest from cash-rich buyout firms. Private equity-led bids for listed companies in Europe hit a reco…

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