Monday Market Minute | Dec 16, 2024

PE closes a banner second half — deal activity up 258% from 2023

What Moved

CVCA year-end data confirmed that Canadian PE deal activity in H2 2024 surged 258% compared to H2 2023, representing the sharpest rebound in over a decade. The recovery was broad-based across mid-market buyouts, growth equity, and platform add-ons. Healthcare, technology, and business services dominated sector activity. Exit volume also recovered, with sponsor-to-sponsor transactions and strategic sales both increasing meaningfully.

Why It Matters

The H2 surge validated 2024 as a potential top-quartile vintage for Canadian PE. Funds that deployed capital through the year acquired assets at reset valuations, financed at declining rates, and held companies with improving growth trajectories. For LPs, the distribution cycle resumed — a critical development for re-commitment capacity and overall portfolio liquidity.

Signal to Watch

Whether the deal pace would sustain into 2025 or prove to be a catch-up burst from pent-up activity. Sustainable deal flow at elevated levels would confirm a structural recovery; a sharp deceleration would suggest the H2 spike was merely a clearing of backlogged transactions.

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