Morgan Stanley makes a league table move

Looks like the John Mack era might prove to be a very good one. It has moved into the top spot in the equity capital ranking and into the no. 2 spot in mergers and acquisitions, behind only Goldman Sachs. Financial News Online notes that Morgan Stanley was a lead underwriter for six of the ten largest domestic IPOs, including the big one for the Blackstone Group. In M&A, there is a chance that blown-up deals could redraw the standings. This much is clear, sponsor deals seem to be less prevalent. Such deals accounted for 28 of all A volume in the third quarter, compared with 41 percent in the second quarter. Still, Morgan Stanley is rolling along well.  

For more:
- here's the Financial News Online article