Mergers to come roaring back?

September 8, 2009 | By Jim Kim

The spate of recent deals has raised talk about whether the merger industry is poised for a revival. We've heard this talk before. Anytime a few deals are announced, the optimism surges, but I would say we're on the same path to volume recovery we've been on for a while.

Bankers are growing more confident and more willing to finance. Bankruptcy proceedings have created lots of opportunities for deals. Hostile deals are back to some extent. But private equity firms are still on the sidelines to a large degree. So in some ways, this is a healthier market. There is less financial speculation and more reasonable multiples, strategic rationales and less debt. For companies with real needs, now is the time to do a deal.

For more:
- here's a New York Times article