What is the reputation of Morgan Stanley's M&A group? Obviously it's one of the best on the street but how is the culture in the group? Survivable/do-able? Exit opps? If you had an offer GS lev fin/ecm which one would you take between the two? Any advice/thoughts would be greatly appreciated.
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Is this a joke?
No, these are my options. Which one would you go with
Would like some more info on the MS M&A culture as well.
unless you have a compelling reason for GS (lifestyle, people, etc - GS levfin hours are really lite - 60-70 hours a week) take MS M&A. arguably the best group on the street with stellar reputation, dealflow and exit opps.
Because of the shit, I will give a serious answer. Agree with tmt, take MS all the way. MS M&A is far and away the top M&A group on the street, but you will be working your ass of even for banking. From what I have heard, GS does not have the best lev fin group on the street, but I could be wrong ( I don't work at a BB and am a little separated from the whole BB scene to tell you the truth). From analysts I have spoken with, MOST of the industry groups at GS execute in house, so I'm sure you do not handle all the modelling in levfin. I would never take ECM over a more traditional IBD role, unless you were interested in more of a markets related role or were planning on definitely staying in banking for the long haul. If you have these options, congrats to you and if I were you I would take MS without looking back.
definitely go with MS M&A... GS levfin does 0 modeling... a lot of debt comps/pricing/reading OM's & Credit Agreements (which is actualy a useful skill to have)
MS M&A probably has the best exit opps of any group at any investment bank... so I'd say it's probably the better place to start. You'll have people calling you and begging you to interview at KKR and TPG 12 months after arrival.
How hard is it to get into the M&A group? Is it true that they basically only take harvard and Wharton kids, and its impossible if you aren't from those schools? Recruiters said that you usually get one of your top 3 choices, which makes it sound like there's a good chance you get it. At the same time, do most incoming SA choose M&A as their first choice?
Nearly every incoming SA is going to put M&A as their #1 or #2 choice.
Good point Randoid--what if now I'm now doing fin sponsors or M&T at MS vs. GS ECM/Lev Fin. Would this change any of your opinions?
So on what grounds are SA chosen? What can be done in advance to improve one's chances of being selected for the M&A group?
I'm pretty sure it's just primarily based off of fit. Does anyone know if MS has a sell day for their SA's?
They have a sell day. What exactly goes down during a sell day?
Take GS and be part of the culture of Success!
I agree with everything that has been stated thus far. MS excellent platform. Can't go wrong with either industry/product.
GS M&A (Originally Posted: 03/16/2013)
Hi guys, new here. Did search but did not find answers to my question.
Does GS have a group called shareholder activist where you advise clients who have been hit with shareholder movement? I know GS doesn't have an M&A group so where does this group sit in?
they do have a special activist group - they co advised with MS (though MS was lead advisor) both years on Forest vs. Icahn. Led by a guy called William Anderson...Bill is a BA.
I think it's called the Mergers Leadership Group, but I'm not sure where it sits within the IBD.
Thanks guys. gekko2 wanted to send you a PM but I don't have enough points being new here--
Anyways, does anyone know what the experience is like within the group?
I would appreciate if someone with direct knowledge could help me understand the following: 1. What kind of technical skill would you pick up from this group and do you do as much technical work as as you would in an industry group? 2. How big is the team and what's the culture like? 3. Any other resources where I can learn more about the group?
Thanks guys, appreciate it.
Also interested in this. Anyone have details about this, particularly #1?
Goldman Sachs Slipping up in M&A world (Originally Posted: 03/25/2011)
Wall Street's most powerful bank, Goldman Sachs Group, made its worst showing in U.S. deal advisory rankings in more than two decades, sliding to 10th place in the first quarter of this year.
While deal rankings can move around dramatically each quarter, it is still embarrassing for Wall Street's premier bank to have fallen in the pecking order. League tables are closely followed by bankers who compete hard for lucrative assignments advising companies on mergers and acquisitions.
Full Article Here http://www.cnbc.com/id/42263893
Found it and thought i'd share. Big deal? No big deal? Thoughts......
From my understanding, Goldman's still #1 in fees though.
http://dealbook.nytimes.com/2011/03/25/goldmans-slow-start-in-m-a/
haha I thought Il Cavaliere was just posting some GS bashing.
Anyone have the full preliminary league table for Q1 2011?
^If you need to know, you have access to bloomberg. If you don't need to know, you shouldn't care.
of course it's no big deal, main reason its behind is because they weren't involved in the at&t-tmobile deal which is huge, and since these rankings are based on the value of deals, go figure. Although they were advising Sprint - for me that is as good. the whole ranking based on total value is fucked up I think. I would look after ranking based on # of deals with EV>500m, instead of total value. these $40bn deals are extremely rare nowadays. Personally, I would rather do 5-10 deals with EV between 1b-5b than just one 40bn deal. regarding GS, wait till the end of the year, I'm sure they'll be 1 or 2 as always.
http://graphics.thomsonreuters.com/F/11/Deals.html
its fucking GS. they'll come back up, and these rankings will not sustain w.t. most banks sliding up/down one spot. However, for all the UBS lovers- this goes to pivot1990- ur bank is not here, and I doubt it will be.
In Asia, they are strong, but in Americas, they have lost a lot of their senior bankers hence market share.
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