A Recommitment Strategy for Long Term Private Equity Fund Investors

This paper develops a reinvestment strategy for private equity which aims to keep its portfolio weight equal to a desired strategic allocation, while taking into account the illiquid nature of private equity. Historical simulations (1980-2005) show that our dynamic strategy is capable of maintaining a stable investment level that is close to the target. This does not only hold for unrestricted portfolios, but also for investments limited to buyout or venture capital, a specific region, or management experience. This finding is of great importance for investors, because private equity funds have a finite lifetime and uncertain cash flows.