Market Commentary

The market for selling a privately held business in North America has never been better than it is today. This is due in part to the following factors:

• 6 years of continuous quarterly GDP growth
• Record levels of money flowing into private equity funds ($300 billion in 2006)
• Record levels of money flowing into hedge funds ($1.53 trillion in 2006)
• Readily available commercial credit
• Strong performance at individual company levels

This has resulted in:

• Increased merger and acquisition activity
• Greater interest in privately-held companies
• Increased competition for acquisition candidates
• Higher valuations

It might be time to consider selling the business.