The most common and most likely answer to this crossword clue is the 9 letter word BREAKOUTS
I've seen this crossword clue in Financial Times
B
R
E
A
K
O
U
T
S
Buddy explains!

The cryptic/wordplay part
In cryptic crossword there's often an wordplay/cryptic part as well.This part involves a more complex hint, such as an anagram, homophone, hidden word, etc.
Sadly, We don't have an explanation for this specific crossword clue yet.
What does BREAKOUTS mean?
BREAKOUTS noun- An escape from prison.
- An escape from any restrictive or confining situation.
- An outbreak.
- A breakdown of statistics; a detailed view of component parts.
- A room in a hotel etc. that can be taken by a smaller group at a large conference.