Returns from private equity have been higher than their listed counterparts both before and since the onset of the financial crisis, new data from Preqin, the research firm, shows.

The firm’s PrEQIn All Private Equity Index (rebased to 100 as of 31 December 2000) stands at 198.5 as of the third quarter of last year, while the S&P 500 stands at 105.1 as of the same period.

While these figures represent an average, there is, Preqin points out, considerable variation between the strongest and weakest performing private equity funds, a fact to consider in any comparison.

The data may provide some comfort to the private equity industry - it having seen the days of easy credit and plentiful leverage disappear. Meanwhile, a total of 1,830 funds are on the road seeking investor commitments.

The PrEQIn Top Quartile Index shows large quarterly increases up until the financial crisis, and begins to move up again during 2009, continuing its steep increase to 509.5 as of Q3 2011. The Bottom Quartile Index, meanwhile, peaked at 80.7 in Q4 2007 before enduring quarterly decreases as a result of the crisis, and has remained relatively flat since, standing at 49.1 as of Q3 2011.

Distressed private equity funds have been the strongest performing strategies, and the PrEQIn Distressed Private Equity Index stands at 322.1 as of September 2011.