Silicon Valley is hopping again. A trend that bankers are more than keen to jump on. Last year, technology deals exceeded $130 billion for the first time since 2000, when Net mania was at its most intense. The two main drivers have been private equity funds and renewed interest in strategic deals by corporate buyers. A report by PricewaterhouseCoopers has found that the real surge in activity has been in the mid-market. In fact, despite some big takeovers, mid-market players accounted for 94 percent of the volume. Globally, that seems to be where the action will remain for some time. But then again, one has to wonder if there is a really big-one out there lurking, a record-breaker. People are always hoping for a marquee LBO to be announced--by Sun Microsystems or some other big firm. You just never know.  

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