Satellite deal: Do broadcasters protest too much?
The proposed merger of satellite radio companies Sirius and XM has elicted a damning response from radio broadcasters. They helped fund a Carmel Group study that has powerfully attacked the deal's...
View ArticleBalance of power tilts back to big companies
Verizon's stunning legal victory in patent suit against voice of IP upstart Vonage should be seen as part of a broader trend favoring big companies. Just a few years ago, it was common wisdom that...
View ArticleBCE talks: eliminating the middle man
The Ontario Teachers' Pension Plan is exploring a possible $45 billion buyout of Bell Canada parent BCE. The talks, first reported by The New York Times, could lead to the largest buyout in history, a...
View ArticleBCE talks driven by regulatory issues
Like just about everything else in telecom, the buyout talks between the Ontario Teachers' Pension Fund and Bell Canada parent BCE are driven by regulatory issues. BCE wanted to enjoy a tax loophole...
View ArticleLazard chief's pay reflects boom
Goldman Sachs CEO Lloyd Blankfein may have done CEOs across the financial world a huge favor by earning a stunning $54 million in 2006. Blankfein set the bar for CEO pay so high that no one else is...
View ArticleDerivatives create new ways for betting on LBOs
Today, I take a look at how hedge funds are using insurance policies, known as credit default swaps, to make bets on companies they think are likely to be acquired in a leveraged buyout. link. Private...
View ArticleAlternative investment fees under pressure
Pension funds and other big investors have been saying for some time that hedge fund fees are too high. Now private equity funds are coming under the same sort of pressure. "Private equity management...
View ArticleAnother view on IT services buyouts
I wrote today about the buyout boom in the IT services sector. link. Investment banker Ken Marlin, the founder of tech and media-oriented advisor Marlin & Associates, offered a long and thoughtful...
View ArticleGoldman backs wireless broadband startup Arcadia
Arcadian Networks, a wireless broadband company that servces rural industries, said Thursday it had raised an additional $30 million from lead investor Goldman Sachs. The New York-based telecom...
View ArticleCarlyle Group Plans to List First Publicly Traded Fund
My colleague Emily Thornton passed this scoop to Deal Flow: Private equity powerhouse the Carlyle Group plans to file to list its first publicly traded fund by the end of June, people familiar with...
View ArticleAvaya: a near-perfect private equity target
For years, telephone handset maker Avaya was a sleepy corporate backwater in the old AT&T corporate empire. No one seemed to want to own it. AT&T spun off its entire network equipment making...
View ArticleAnother view on strategic buyers
I argued yesterday that strategic buyers are often at a disadvantage when they are in competitive situation with financial sponsors. Ken Marlin, the founder of investment bank Marlin &...
View ArticleM&A advisor questions whether Avaya buyout will pay off
I thought that TPG and Silver Lake's $8.2 billion buyout of corporate phone-maker Avaya made a lot of sense. Sure, the company is in a tough business and faces competition from all sides, but buyout...
View ArticleSallie Mae deal at risk
The $25 billion buyout of student loan company SLM could be scuttled as Congress debates new laws that would cut funding for the market. The private equity consortium, which includes JC Flowers, JP...
View ArticleLehman Keeps Bleeding
The Lehman Brothers bloodbath continues, as shares of the beleaguered investment bank tumbled again today—just one day after the firm announced a still evolving plan to put its financial affairs in...
View Article
More Pages to Explore .....