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By Ken MacFadyen

Real Estate: Heads or Tails?

July 8, 2008 - Whether your perspective is that of a real estate fund or a home-dweller, it's tough to get a read on today's real estate market.

Greener Pastures?

June 16, 2008 - The music may stop, the lights may go out and the keg may run dry, but a party doesn’t officially end until the people leave. That’s the current phase being seen in the M&A market, as a number of top names have recently moved on to greener pastures – greener not in the sense of more money, but possibly more time to spend with family, pursue other interests, or even just catch up on yard work.

MacFadyen: Greener Pastures?

June 16, 2008 - The slowdown has forced some dealmakers to reevaluate their priorities.

Checks and Balances

May 13, 2008 - This year, as the credit markets struggle to regain their feet, I imagine it can be pretty difficult for some to smile through the adversity. Nevertheless, I’m still a believer that a good soak can wash the toxins out.

MacFADYEN: A Fitting Penalty?

April 24, 2008 - The SEC collared another trader profiting on false rumors, but once again failed to even get an apology out him.

Testing New Acronyms

April 14, 2008 - The deal community seems to relate well to acronyms. LBOs, SPACs, PIPEs, DIPs ... the list alone could exceed the 400 words or so that fill up this space. I would, however, like to offer a couple more, which I'm hoping might be useful the next time the M&A market hits an up-cycle: STYK, DWYGA, ICG, and SWTHAYTTAHI.

Covering Cross Border M&A

March 26, 2008 - No doubt, the domestic M&A market has stalled. Deals are still occurring, but a closer inspection reveals that many of these transactions are actually centered on cross-border themes. In the past few days alone, Tata acquired Ford’s Jaguar and Land Rover divisions; Caterpillar bolstered its stake in its Japanese JV; and Carlyle bought interests in two separate French telcos.

An Endorsement

February 19, 2008 - With Super Tuesday in the rearview, and the likes of Romney, Giuliani and Edwards now out of the race, we've gained a little clarity into the probable candidates for the general election. However, it remains to be seen what impact all of this will have on the deal market. That’s not to imply, though, that the impact will be small.

A Benevolent Deity?

January 23, 2008 - I’m by no means a protectionist. I’m more inclined to yawn than blink at the billions being thrown around by the sovereign wealth funds of countries like China, Abu Dhabi and Singapore. In fact, I’d rather those countries bail out our banks than place it on the shoulders of Tommy and Tina Taxpayer.

Irrational Protectionism

January 16, 2008 - It's hard to not recognize the growing power of foreign acquirers.

A Tale of Consumer Fatigue

January 16, 2008 - I might be a pessimist by nature, but I have a hard time believing that we're not at the brink of a recession.