Preqin Investor Outlook draws on the results of interviews conducted with over 100 global institutional investors during June and July 2012, to provide readers with a unique insight into the attitudes and opinions of leading investors both on the current real estate market, and the fundraising outlook for the year ahead.

In this month's edition, Preqin puts the spotlight on private real estate investors’ alternative routes to market, looks at how European public pension funds are investing, and a round-up of fundraising in Q2 2012.

In its H2 2012 edition of Preqin Investor Outlook: Private Equity, the data and intelligence provider takes a unique look at investors in the asset class, their current opinions of the market and the outlook for fundraising in the year ahead.

The latest quarterly report on M&A transactions in UK financial services produced by IMAS, the corporate finance adviser, in conjunction with TheCityUK and UK Trade & Investment, shows that whilst transaction volumes have remained stable, the value of M&A transactions has dropped by 44 per cent in the second quarter of 2012.

Research conducted by Preqin for the 2012 Private Equity Performance Monitor publication shows that the total assets under management held by private equity funds worldwide has reached USD 3 trillion for the first time, highlighting the sustained growth of the industry in spite of challenging wider economic conditions.