Hard knock life

Figures often corroborate what experts already accept as truth, so it was no surprise to learn that the UK economy is officially in decline and on the verge of recession (though many broadsheets treated it as such with dramatic headlines). In a similar vein, the latest unquote" Private Equity Barometer, produced in association with Candover, reveals that Europe has suffered a staggering 35% drop in deal activity in the third quarter. While the figures are scary, they paint a far rosier picture than exists in the UK, which saw deals halve in terms of both volume and value in Q3 compared to the previous three months (37 deals worth EUR4.5bn - with Lion's EUR1.4bn takeover of FoodVest propping that figure up)