Last December executives at the Carlyle Group worked into the night to sign what they imagined would be one of the private equity firm’s most enduring deals. In 2020, however, there may be no such thing as a stable business. Carlyle is now trying to walk away from a deal with American Express Global Business Travel before any money has changed hands. Our US private capital correspondent, Mark Vandevelde, reports on the ensuing legal row, and what it could mean for dealmaking during the pandemic.   To get free access to the FT’s Coronavirus Business Update newsletter for 30 days, visit ft.com/behindthemoneycovid or https://www.ft.com/newsletter-signup/coronavirus?segmentId=12f1abd6-6f16-e2df-e4ff-7aaa9346f98e. A few stories for further reading: - Inside Carlyle’s ‘long-term’ Amex bet that coronavirus cut short (paywall): https://www.ft.com/content/e710b3dc-3eba-4227-9258-6a678d66f6e1 - Apollo: how a private equity giant is navigating the crisis (paywall): https://www.ft.com/content/6fce9808-84ab-11ea-b555-37a289098206 - Coronavirus: private equity’s bailout moment (paywall): https://www.ft.com/content/f7cc82d7-70b9-40c3-b4a0-815ebc5d99d5     See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.