Will M&A always be a good field?

Will M&A always be a good field?

Given that M&A is really a recent phenomena of the late 80's to early 2000's, does the M&A profession have the staying power of law/medicine? Sometimes I feel like it is a faddish skill-set that is not worth devoting one's life in developing. Thoughts?

 
Best Response

I think M&A will always have a role in a developed economy - you're essentially a strategic and valuation consultant. The profession existed before the 1980's, but advances in computing technology made it more standardized and narrowly defined. The biggest corporates will have their own in-house M&A teams (Corp Dev or whatever they want to call them), but most companies can't afford that and it wouldn't be efficient given how infrequently they engage in M&A, thus, M&A advisory firms will always have a role to play. If anything, I think true strategic M&A advisory may have more sticking power than niche/fad investment advisory practices (the boom in PE is really a reaction to ultra cheap debt and the manipulated market force of being able to expense interest on debt pre-tax).

Just my $0.02

 

There's a good analysis pointing out that many of the things we consider 'tech' today should actually be classified as some other industry even though the entrepreneurs use tech/innovation to drive their business model. An example would be Tesla should be under the automotive sector.. SolarCity should be under energy, and Internet should be under consumer

There are plenty of changes and I'm sure that whatever coverage area pursued will continue to be 'important'

Refer here: http://www.wallstreetoasis.com/blog/the-aging-of-the-tech-sector-the-pr…

 

If you're talking about just being an M&A guy going forward then yes, I think it's a good field to get into, especially if you can carve out a niche (medical devices M&A guy, etc.) but that goes for anything.

If you're talking about the skills you get in M&A, then again, I think it's a good field to start in or have a stint in. It teaches you valuation, negotiation, how management / PE's think, and how the whole thing comes together. If you want to be in an investing role or an exec, I think these skills are helpful.

 

It will always be a good field. with liquor and cheeseburgers as far as the eye can see, plenty of room to grow weed plants (in trailers or outdoors), and ladies of the night free to roam, there is little reason to leave

I AM THE LIQUOR
 

Debitis perferendis qui atque vitae voluptatem est autem. Voluptas sit distinctio natus omnis id tempora. Dolores laudantium enim vitae ullam molestiae optio a.

Repellat veritatis nisi ut ea. Ipsam aut sit dolorem laboriosam. Aliquam nihil aut ex aliquam. Non occaecati qui corrupti est aut.

Est iusto tenetur porro quia nemo. Aliquam quidem libero mollitia quis nam dolorem. Natus expedita deserunt non repellat sunt. Qui qui non corporis nam voluptatem est. Vel commodi et ipsa esse.

Fugit voluptatem minus et officia. Consequatur omnis doloremque est eos aut nesciunt eum. Enim ipsam fugiat neque. Magnam illum quae excepturi necessitatibus fuga.

Be excellent to each other, and party on, dudes.
 

Aut et tempore natus autem. Quidem quia quo veniam harum et. Rerum dolorem et sed. Maiores perspiciatis iste asperiores eum doloremque rerum harum.

Ullam officia id illo optio repudiandae magnam. Aspernatur ea exercitationem sit itaque voluptas non. Repellendus exercitationem aut qui velit quia aut quaerat excepturi.

Career Advancement Opportunities

April 2024 Investment Banking

  • Jefferies & Company 02 99.4%
  • Goldman Sachs 19 98.8%
  • Harris Williams & Co. New 98.3%
  • Lazard Freres 02 97.7%
  • JPMorgan Chase 03 97.1%

Overall Employee Satisfaction

April 2024 Investment Banking

  • Harris Williams & Co. 18 99.4%
  • JPMorgan Chase 10 98.8%
  • Lazard Freres 05 98.3%
  • Morgan Stanley 07 97.7%
  • William Blair 03 97.1%

Professional Growth Opportunities

April 2024 Investment Banking

  • Lazard Freres 01 99.4%
  • Jefferies & Company 02 98.8%
  • Goldman Sachs 17 98.3%
  • Moelis & Company 07 97.7%
  • JPMorgan Chase 05 97.1%

Total Avg Compensation

April 2024 Investment Banking

  • Director/MD (5) $648
  • Vice President (19) $385
  • Associates (87) $260
  • 3rd+ Year Analyst (14) $181
  • Intern/Summer Associate (33) $170
  • 2nd Year Analyst (66) $168
  • 1st Year Analyst (205) $159
  • Intern/Summer Analyst (146) $101
notes
16 IB Interviews Notes

“... there’s no excuse to not take advantage of the resources out there available to you. Best value for your $ are the...”

Leaderboard

1
redever's picture
redever
99.2
2
BankonBanking's picture
BankonBanking
99.0
3
Betsy Massar's picture
Betsy Massar
99.0
4
Secyh62's picture
Secyh62
99.0
5
CompBanker's picture
CompBanker
98.9
6
dosk17's picture
dosk17
98.9
7
GameTheory's picture
GameTheory
98.9
8
kanon's picture
kanon
98.9
9
DrApeman's picture
DrApeman
98.8
10
numi's picture
numi
98.8
success
From 10 rejections to 1 dream investment banking internship

“... I believe it was the single biggest reason why I ended up with an offer...”