Dykema Unveils Results From Ninth Annual M&A Outlook Survey

Industry Leaders More Optimistic About Deal-making Environment in the Coming Year

Press Mentions

10.31.13

Dykema has released the results of its 2013 Mergers & Acquisitions Outlook Survey, the firm’s ninth annual survey of leading company executives and outside advisors in the M&A space. As with preceding installments, this year’s survey canvassed senior executives—CEOs, CFOs and other professionals involved in M&A activities with their respective firms—to gauge their insights and perspectives on the mergers and acquisitions market in the coming 12 months.

In framing their responses, survey participants evaluated such factors as the U.S. economy, the financing environment, investment opportunities and likely domestic and global matters over the next year.

Key findings from this year’s survey:

  • Respondents are significantly more confident that M&A activity will be stronger over the next 12 months than they were a year ago.  In 2012, only 37 percent of respondents expressed this confidence; this year, 68 percent of respondents said the M&A market will be stronger in the coming year.
  • This sentiment is fueled by respondents’ greater optimism in the state of the U.S. economy. This year, 54 percent of survey participants said they thought the economy would improve in the coming 12 months. In 2012, only 30 percent felt that the economy would improve over the next year.

Dave Cellitti, a Chicago-based member who leads Dykema’s M&A practice, notes another contributing factor to the positive outlook expressed by this year’s survey respondents : “Excess capital would seem to be one main reason for this surge in optimism; however, executives are still cautious as they continue to make decisions in a turbulent economic environment.”

To read the complete summary of Dykema’s 2013 Mergers & Acquisitions Outlook Survey, please click here.