Matilda Battersby

The Government Pension Fund of Thailand has selected the Swiss private equity advisory firm to help implement a $330 million global private equity expansion plan.

The value of the UK private equity buyout market dropped to its lowest level for more than 13 years during the final quarter of 2008, according to recently published research.

The firms have held a $150m first close and expect to raise $200m by the end of the first quarter.

Chesapeake Energy has sold natural gas reserves, with a production value of 98 billion cubic feet of gas, to the US private equity firm Argonaut in a volumetric production payment transaction.

The Edinburgh-based firm is awaiting approval from the FSA to market its first private equity fund, but will soon start doing early stage deals from its newly established angel syndicate arm.

JC Flowers, Dune Capital and Stone Point Capital are among the investors purchasing the Californian mortgage lending bank which defaulted last July.

The San Francisco-based secondaries firm has hired Rein Gabriel as an associate. Last month it hired former SL Green/Gramercy Capital executive John Graham to boost its acquisitions team.

The Cairo-based private equity firm specialising in investment in the Middle East and North Africa has appointed Ghada Hammouda to manage its communication strategy as it seeks to widen its investor base.

Switzerland-based alternative asset manager Finvest Asset Management has launched its first private equity-specific fund to target opportunities arising from the downturn.

The UK buyout market has seen deal flow drop 40% in the fourth quarter, according to recent data.