The takeover battle for ABN Amro speaks volumes about how much the thinking on mergers have changed in Europe. There's something of a frenzy going on. As more companies put themselves up for sale or fight off suitors, the bankers, hedge funds and financial sponsors are thrilled. Deal volume in Europe for this year stands at roughly $650 billion, compared with $6000 billion in the U.S. That should tell you something right there. The catalyst may well be hedge funds. They are really shaking things up, as evidence by the ABN Amro drama. The big-think perspective is that European companies are simply doing what they have to do to break the old-economy shackles that have held them back for years.

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