Carlyle unveils $200 million share buyback, earnings miss forecast

Private equity firm Carlyle Group LP unveiled a $200 million share buyback plan on Wednesday as it posted weaker-than-expected fourth-quarter earnings amid turbulent financial markets. "In market downturns such as this one, we've made some of our best investments," said David Rubenstein, co-chief executive officer at Carlyle. It has been a difficult few months for the U.S. leveraged buyout sector, and Carlyle is the latest private equity firm to show its earnings have suffered in a tough environ