Charterhouse Capital Partners’ closely watched acquisition of Scottish energy consultancy Wood Mackenzie has become a touchstone for private equity deals in 2009 as hope returns that buyout activity will pick up in the second half of the year.

After months of relative inactivity for buyout firms and financial sponsor bankers, Charterhouse was victorious in a hotly contested auction, claiming the largest European buyout so far in 2009 at £553m (€644m).