M&A pace slows, but few are worried

The growth of global deal volume slowed in the third quarter, dropping 18 percent from the second quarter. For the year, volume topped $2.5 trillion. That's a 32 percent rise over the same period in 2005. While the recent drop off has raised some eyebrows, there's no indication of panic on the Street. In fact, people are giddily awaiting the next big deal to be announced by private equity firms. Indeed, LBOs are expected to pace the growth of deals for the next year at least. In particular, people are hoping for more buyouts of technology firms. There will likely be a bump in strategic deals for sure. You can bet bankers in Silicon Valley are in overdrive mode.

For more on this:
- Here's an article from Investment Dealers' Digest (For FierceFinance readers)