Dealmakers Eye Brighter Future: ACG-Thomson Reuters Survey
Private equity pros, venture capitalists and others in the trade are optimistic that conditions will continue to improve for leveraged buyouts, M&A, and related transactions in the months ahead. According to the latest installment of the twice-yearly ACG-Thomson Reuters DealMakers Survey, nearly three-quarters of respondents (74%) anticipate a rise in M&A activity over the next six months. One in 10 predicts M&A activity will “increase significantly” from the previous six months, while 64% say it will “increase moderately.” That respondents see room for improvement is understandable. More than half of them (55%) characterize the current environment for M&A activity as only “fair.” Another 30% call it “good,” 5% “excellent,” 10% “poor.” Interestingly, nearly two-thirds (65%) call it a buyer’s market, and the same percentage believe the market favors strategic over private equity buyers.
