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  • 2020
  • Working Paper

An Empirical Guide to Investor-Level Private Equity Data from Preqin

By: Juliane Begenau, Claudia Robles-Garcia, Emil Siriwardane and Lulu Wang
  • Format:Print
  • | Language:English
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Abstract

This note provides guidance on the use of investor-level private equity data from Preqin for empirical research. Preqin primarily sources its cash flow data through Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) requests with U.S. public pensions. Our focus is on the components of these data that are used for calculating returns on investments made by individual public pensions into private market vehicles, most notably private equity. We discuss how accounting practices may impact cash flow variables, document the prevalence of data quality and other measurement error issues, and recommend transparent adjustments that deliver reliable estimates of net-of fee returns that are comparable across investors and time.

Keywords

Private Equity Returns; Prequin Data; Private Equity; Analytics and Data Science; Investment Return

Citation

Begenau, Juliane, Claudia Robles-Garcia, Emil Siriwardane, and Lulu Wang. "An Empirical Guide to Investor-Level Private Equity Data from Preqin." Working Paper, December 2020.
  • SSRN

About The Author

Emil N. Siriwardane

Finance
→More Publications

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More from the Authors
  • Limits to Bank Deposit Market Power By: Juliane Begenau and Erik Stafford
  • Segmented Arbitrage By: Emil Siriwardane, Adi Sunderam and Jonathan Wallen
  • Pershing Square's Pandemic Trade (B) By: Emil N. Siriwardane, Luis M. Viceira and Dean Xu
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