The private-equity industry is pushing back against plans by antitrust enforcers to scrutinize more proposed mergers, saying these efforts violate the law and will hurt the economy. Copyright ©2023 Dow Jones & Company, Inc. All Rights Reserved. 87990cbe856818d5eddac44c7b1cdeb8

More buyout firms are using borrowed money to extract cash from companies they control, hoping to boost profits and please investors at a time when selling assets is difficult. Dormant for a year, the market for dividend recapitalizations has in recent months begun to show signs of life. In these transactions a company controlled by private equity borrows money and uses it to make a payment to its owners. Dividend...

The Biden administration’s plan to restrict private-equity and venture-capital investment in China has left firms and their lawyers struggling with the implications for the huge Chinese operations that many have built over the past several decades. The Wednesday executive order suggests a kind of “sanctions-lite” approach to investments in China, lawyers say. It would prevent private funds from investing in some high-technology areas and require them to disclose information about commitments...

During the last major U.S. banking crisis, private-equity firms spent billions buying troubled lenders. Don’t expect them to do the same this time around, investors say. Instead, private-equity firms are more likely to extend credit to shaky lenders or try to peel off valuable bank assets as turmoil unfolds following the collapse of Silicon Valley Bank. Subscribe Now