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By Ken MacFadyen

MacFadyen: Strategic Development

June 29, 2009 - As the corporate development role becomes a fixture at larger companies, strategics are becoming better buyers.

MacFadyen: Envisioning the Turn

June 19, 2009 - Every deal these days could qualify as a distressed transaction. This isn’t always going to be the case.

MacFadyen: Selfish Contribution?

June 16, 2009 - I don’t like to criticize any charity, but Pete Peterson writes the book on philanthropic grandstanding.

MacFadyen: Tapping the Overhang

June 9, 2009 - Don't think Washington hasn't done the math on PE's buying power. It currently exceeds the stimulus package.

MacFadyen: Hmmmr

June 5, 2009 - Tengzhong's Hummer purchase is either a smart bet around IP or could be the latest overpriced Chinese brand purchase.

MacFadyen: Lawyer Up

May 27, 2009 - The class-action law firms are enjoying a renaissance as public companies go private.

MacFadyen: Crossing the Valuation Gap

May 21, 2009 - The enduring question that continues to ring out from deal circles is how to close the valuation gap. It’s a query that probably belongs on Buddha’s list of unanswerables. While no remedy exists that completely solves this problem, buyers are increasingly coming up with solutions that at least allow them to avoid the dreaded earnout clause.

InterGrowth Buzz III

May 15, 2009 - Fundraising is fast becoming a modified version of Cloak and Dagger, pitting GPs vs. LPs, according to panelists in a Thursday session.

MacFadyen: InterGrowth Buzz II

May 13, 2009 - 'Eyes closed, nothing but net' -- it can work in a game of HORSE, but deal pros are much less inclined to take any blind shots.

MacFadyen: InterGrowth Update

May 12, 2009 - I had the chance to fire off some questions to former House Speaker Newt Gingrich. He was concise, but pointed.

Fair Warning: You Can’t Annul a Bad Deal

May 8, 2009 - Dealmaking in Vegas -- if this doesn’t manage to kickstart the M&A market, I don’t know what else will. But let’s try to avoid any Britney Spears / Jason Alexander-type marriages while we’re here.

Filling a Silence

April 20, 2009 - The worst part about a down market is that the lack of dealflow has made small talk all the more difficult. In the past, I could always reference a recent transaction or two to fill a silence.

Dissecting Deals of Necessity

March 17, 2009 - If necessity is the mother of invention, it might also be considered the mother of M&A in today’s wallowing market.

MacFadyen: A TARP Solution

February 11, 2009 - So how do you put a value on toxic assets? The answer is easier than you might assume.

Award Season Officially Begins

February 2, 2009 - We’re already two months into the New Year, and considering the market in 2008, I’m sure few people want to look back. As it stands right now, however, 2009 isn’t shaping up to be much better. So what’s a deal pro to do? My suggestion would be to embrace the small victories and just keep plugging away until the market turns

A Resolution

December 29, 2008 - I usually start thinking about New Year's resolutions about a week or two ahead of Thanksgiving.

Hollywood’s Take on the Credit Crisis?

November 24, 2008 - Yeah, I’m a bit paranoid, but everything, it seems, has been touched by the credit crisis these days.

Joe the Dealmaker

October 20, 2008 - Joe the Plumber has received more than enough attention during the past few days, but at the risk of overexposure, we have to weigh in on his interpretation of the tax code.

No More Shoes, Please

October 13, 2008 - There was a time, after July of '07, when everyone was waiting for the next shoe to drop.

Culture Shock

September 23, 2008 - Culture can often be one of the more complex issues dealmakers face when combining two businesses. Indeed, trying to make fast friends out of merged rivals has on more than one occasion torpedoed an otherwise well-planned merger.

In Hindsight

September 22, 2008 - Roughly a year ago in this forum I predicted that our economy would be in for a rough stretch. It wasn’t at all a bold prediction or even all that insightful considering the signs -- emerging then on a daily basis -- that pointed to the distress we’re all feeling today. To take everyone back, we were just a few months into the dislocation in the credit market; Bear Stearns had just seen two of its hedge funds collapse; and consumers, those of us who don’t make over six figures, were gasping for air.

A Real Estate Bet on Spurrier? Really?

September 9, 2008 - There are few things in life quite as enjoyable as a fall Saturday spent tailgating and watching SEC football.

MacFadyen: The Fixer-Upper

August 26, 2008 - Can flawless integration make a bad deal good? It might be question best left to the M&A philosophers.

One Step Forward

August 18, 2008 - If there’s a gripe I’m hearing from deal pros recently it’s that transactions are still falling apart.

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.