BERLIN : Private equity investors gathered in Berlin at their annual get-together are fretting a season of record buyouts is drawing to a close after a week of market turmoil and recession fears as central banks across Europe have hiked interest rates. Cash-rich buyout funds are set to face higher financing costs to get their deals to the finishing line. "Things will get worse before they get better," Marcus Brennecke, global co-head private equity at EQT, told Reuters at the SuperReturn International conference.