Private equity is struggling with exits, even as the AI deal boom takes over Wal

Private equity is staring down a growing pile of investments it can't cash out of.

Fueled by the artificial intelligence frenzy, Wall Street's 2026 deal boom is on pace to set records. But even the roaring market hasn't been enough to help the private equity industry clear out its mountain of aging portfolio companies.

PE firms are sitting on 13,325 unsold US companies as of the end of May, up from 12,900 as of last October, according to PitchBook estimates. It will take 11 years to sell that existing inventory at the current pace, a two-year increase compared to last fall.

"It would be one thing if we were in difficult market times, but we have a reasonably strong economy, a stock market that sets a new record about once a week, and a booming IPO market," said Scott Bok, former CEO of investment bank Greenhill & Co.

"Private equity is really facing a conundrum right now," Bok added.

Wall Street is expected to churn out its biggest year for mergers and acquisitions, bond offerings, and lending, according to Dealogic data. It could even set a record for IPOs if leading AI startups Anthropic (ANTH.PVT) and OpenAI (OPAI.PVT) go through with public offerings later this year.

But

Fuente original: Yahoo Finance (https://finance.yahoo.com/markets/article/private-equity-is-struggling-with-exits-even-as-the-ai-deal-boom-takes-over-wall-street-133536900.html)