Piper Jaffray

The first half of 2020 may be great for M&A, as transaction pros aim to close deals before election uncertainty, say bankers from Piper Jaffray, William Blair and more. China’s Tencent Holdings buys stake in Universal Music Group from France’s Vivendi. Mergers & Acquisitions announces 2020 Most Influential Women in Mid-Market M&A. PE pros, like Vista Equity founder Robert F. Smith, give back.

Investment bankers from Harris Williams, Lincoln International, Piper Jaffray, Stifel, William Blair and more share their forecasts for the new year, with some saying the biggest source of uncertainty for dealmakers is who will win the Democratic presidential nomination.

"There are still 5,000 banks," says Piper Jaffray's Chad Abraham. "We expect the pace of consolidation to continue."

Piper Jaffray and Sealed Air were also involved in dealmaking.

Piper Jaffray's purchase of Sandler O'Neill puts CEO Chad Abraham in a position to capitalize on soaring bank M&A. Vertex expands its pipeline for diabetes treatments. More deal news from AEI and Avista.

Dealmakers from Alvarez & Marsal, Harris Williams, Huntington, KeyBanc, Lincoln, Piper Jaffray, Stifel and Willliam Blair weigh in on today's M&A climate, reporting a sense of urgency to close deals now, while the economy is stable, and advising clients to prepare for a downturn likely in 2020.

Cisco acquires Acacia. Piper Jaffray buys Sandler O'Neill. Transom purchases Conair's liquid division.

Mergers & Acquisitions named 10 dealmakers the 2019 Rising Stars of Private Equity, including GTCR's Stephen Jeschke. Exponent Exchange brings women dealmakers together in New York on July 11. Deal news from Transom and Piper.

William Blair's Andrew Jessen and Huntington's Karen Davies say it's a good time to sell your company. Alex Rodriguez talks about investing in NRG eSports, Ice Shaker, Jennifer Lopez. Mergers & Acquisitions will announce the 2019 Rising Stars of Private Equity on July 1.

Investment bankers, including Lincoln's Christopher Stradling, advise to sell now. Palladium, Gryphon, Thompson Street, make deals. CD&R forms new leadership team.