Louis Lehot Assesses European Investment Trends Amid Macroeconomic Shifts

Foley & Lardner LLP partner Louis Lehot commented on trends in private equity and a growing interest in international diversification spurred by macroeconomic shifts in the PitchBook article, “Europeans pursue US targets to cushion tariff impacts.”

“In general and for the last 10 years, I’ve seen an increasing interest of U.S. PE firms looking into Europe for what I’ll call ‘better priced transactions’ or ‘better priced assets,’” Lehot said, noting European companies are typically valued lower than their counterparts in the United States.

With tariffs driving North American investors to consider a new approach to risk management, he noted that in recent months, he has seen “a desire to diversify away from the U.S. dollar.”

“And so, the idea is that if the euro is going to get stronger and there’s going to be good growth in Europe, it’s a good place to be investing,” Lehot added, pointing out a renewed interest by European governments in stimulating the region’s economy with increased spending expected in several sectors, particularly defense.