Suzanne Weinstock

The South Carolina theme park, backed by publicly listed Israeli holding companies Africa Israel Investment and Polar Investments, failed to find a buyer while in bankruptcy and will liquidate just nine months after opening.

Average high bids for private equity fund interests fell to 61% of NAV in the five months through November 2008, driven by stale holding values, according to Cogent Partners.

In a move to shift away from equity risk, The State of Wisconsin Investment Board has raised its real estate and private equity targets 1% each and doubled the target of its tactical multi-asset allocation.

The steakhouse operator, acquired as part of the $600m take-private of Lone Star Steakhouse & Saloon in 2006, cited ‘current public market conditions’ in its filing with the SEC.

The $850m Chicago Firemen’s Annuity and Benefit Fund will make a third secondaries investment by the end of the month.

Corporate finance lawyer Jacques Demers will lead OMERS Strategic Investments, a new investment division tasked with making very large investments for the pension in 'global asset companies' including airports, real estate and energy projects.

The US-based growth investor has brought on Fernando Marques Oliveira as managing director to spearhead the firm’s ramped-up investment activity in Latin America. General Atlantic last month invested in Brazilian healthcare insurance group Qualicorp.

The New York-based mid-market buyout firm has acquired two hospital laundry companies to form Healthcare Laundry Systems in a ‘conservatively financed transaction’ that was more than a year in the making.

AxleTech International will join the armament and technical products division of defense industry contractor General Dynamics.

The Sao Paolo-based alternatives firm has held a final close for its third private equity fund targeting the consumer and infrastructure sectors.