Greg Beaman

Deal values in Canada’s buyout and private equity (PE) market regained steam in Q2 2019 following a slow first quarter, according to final data released by Refinitiv. PE investing reflected values of $9.3 billion in the second quarter, up 66 percent from Q1 2019 and up 9 percent from Q2 2018. Dollar flows backed some 103 deals. On balance, PE investment stood at $14.9 billion in the first half of 2019. While this is down 19 percent from a year earlier, H1 2019 was the second most dollars-intensive first half on record. Transportation sectors captured the largest share of disbursements in the first half, while manufacturing and software sectors tied for the largest share of deals.

Venture capital (VC) investment in Canadian technology companies sustained a robust pace in the second quarter of 2019, with $1.4 billion deployed across 153 financings, according to final data released by Refinitiv. This marked the most active April-through-June period in dollar terms since 2000. The number of rounds, however, were down slightly year over year. As a result, VC investment in the first half of the year hit $2.8 billion, up 12 percent from $2.5 billion invested at the same time in 2018. Life sciences sectors secured $587 million in the first half, more than the entire 2018 amount. In contrast, information technology sectors captured a relatively flat $1.7 billion.

Deal values in Canada’s buyout and private equity (PE) market slowed in the first three months of 2019 following a record-breaking 2018, according to final data released by Refinitiv. PE investing reflected values of $4.9 billion in Q1 2019, down 50 percent from Q1 2018, and marking the slowest first quarter in dollar terms in five years. Transaction volumes, however, were up 8 percent year over year. Oil and gas companies captured the largest share of dollar flows between January and March, at 39 percent. In the global market, Canadian investors joined 45 transactions valued at $32 billion in Q1 2019, the largest first-quarter amount on record.

Deal-making in Canada's buyout and private equity market continued to grow at a strong pace in the third quarter of 2017, according to final data released by Thomson Reuters. Additionally, at the end of September, 261 deals took $23.8 billion in disclosed values, up 73 percent year over year, which is the highest nine-month level on record. Deal volumes increased at a more moderate 8 percent from the same time last year, pointing to the key influence of large-cap transactions. Canadian investors were active in 88 global deals in the first nine months of 2017, up 7 percent from the same time in 2016, though disclosed values for these fell 32 percent.

Canada's buyout and related private equity market showed robust growth in the first half of 2017, with 184 deals capturing $14.6 billion in disclosed values, up 55 percent from H1 2016, according to final data released by Thomson Reuters. As a result, the domestic market saw its most active first half in dollar terms on record. Deal volumes also increased 10 percent in H1 2017, relative to a year ago. Activity was led by Vista Equity Partner’s $4.8 billion buy of DH Corp, the largest Canadian private equity deal in three years. Canadian investors were active in 65 international deals in H1 2017, up 35 percent year over year, though values for these fell 7 percent.