Private Equity and Devaluation in Emerging Countries

Abstract

Using a comprehensive database with 51 emerging countries studied over a 13 year period, we find that devaluation increases the PE investment. More years of annual devaluation have a higher impact in promoting PE investment. Conclusions are confirmed for total and high technology PE investments, but not for early stage PE investments. Devaluation does not benefit PE investment in firms in the early stages of development. Devaluation itself is not sufficient to encourage the appetite of investors; however, some country-level competitiveness variables are indispensable for making a country more fertile for PE investment when a devaluation occurs – the high relevance of competiveness increasing in the long term.