Strategic Alternatives

The podcast discusses Australia's economic challenges such as softening growth, persistent inflation, and a weaker labor market. It also examines key factors to monitor and their implications for the RBA, bond market, and investors. The analysis includes topics like the labor market, fixed income markets, and navigating Australia's economic outlook.

Going into the next election, US regulators are more likely to double down than back off their focus on big M&A deals and they’re looking most closely at consumer-facing businesses. Vito Sperduto, Head of Global M&A, sat down with Andrew Lipman, Partner at Morgan Lewis at RBC’s Global Technology, Internet, Media and Telecommunications (TIMT) Conference to discuss how antitrust will continue to affect US regulation in our current environment.

From geopolitical volatility to a looming election year, there’s hardly been a more important time to examine strategic alternatives. With M&A levels below average, but IPO volumes high — what might the next stretch look like for transactional activity? And how quickly will markets recover from potential disruption? 

The equity capital market is technically open. Some big IPOs have been delivered. Yet many investors and issuers still prefer to wait rather than act. What’s holding them back, and what are the prospects for the market getting back into full swing in 2024?

Recent deals in the industrial sector suggest an unleashing of pent-up M&A demand due to the new interest rate environment. The podcast discusses the impact of macro uncertainty and higher interest rates on deal-making. It also highlights the effects of wage pressures, supply chain challenges, and increasing CEO confidence on mergers and acquisitions in the industry. The potential surge of deals in the future is discussed, considering the availability of fresh capital and market dampening factors like high rates and inflation.

Discussing the impact of the housing market on building product cycle, increasing average hold period for portfolio companies, competitiveness of private equity and corporate buyers in acquiring carve outs, and the outlook for transformative M&A transactions in the coming years.

There’s a growing trend in joint ventures between sponsors and corporates as boardrooms seek out Private Equity expertise and funding to get complex deals done. In this episode, we examine how clients are finding innovative paths to dealmaking and bolstering their businesses through M&A. Listen now.

A rebound in bank lending for H2 2023, steady interest rates, recent valuation corrections and lots of dry powder offer hope for an uptick in private equity deals and exit activity in the year ahead. Listen to the latest episode of Strategic Alternatives to learn more.

With greater regulatory clarity, some transactions are becoming easier and less costly to execute, while challenging macro conditions call for sound strategy and niche structures to unlock deals.

M&A transactions have fallen 30-45% year-on-year. But while the era of “free capital” may be over, sophisticated structures and a return of CEO confidence should lead to more deals in H2 2023.