A total of 5,106 private equity-backed buyout deals were announced through 2018, an all-time record, building on the previous record of 4,829 seen in 2017, said a latest report by Preqin.

According to Preqin Insights the total value of these deals also rose to reach $456bn - this is close to the $460bn seen in 2015, and may surpass it given that Preqin expects the