The long-awaited thaw in the M&A market has been bandied about in recent months about as often as a Blockbuster bankruptcy filing. Seemingly always on the horizon, but just beyond reach, corporate lawyers are waiting for the bankruptcy wave to recede and the flood of pre-recession transactional work to return.
If the growing number of deals announced in recent weeks is any indication, maybe we really are seeing the early signs of a M&A boom. The Financial Times recently reported that a drop in the cost of capital — both debt and equity — could signal the start of a new M&A growth cycle. And Reuters reports that M&A activity should rise by roughly 25 percent this year because of increased deal work in Asia and the U.S. (Europe likely will remain less attractive given ongoing economic troubles across the continent.)
