Deloitte Debate: Keep Doing M&A Deals During a Downturn or Hunker Down?

What: "Boom or Bust: Keep Doing M&A Deals, or Hunker Down?"

Who: Jeffery Weirens, principal, Deloitte Consulting LLP

When: Available immediately

Where: www.deloitte.com/us/debates/m&a

Details: At the moment, the acquisition and divestiture landscape is dominated by the current condition of the economy, which is prompting forced sales, bold acquisitions and an unprecedented level of government intervention. The implication for the acquisition and divestiture market is that deal valuation will likely be extremely favourable for strategic buyers with ample cash on hand for investment, as well as provide sellers an opportunity to unlock value through strategic divestitures and portfolio rebalancing.

"Acquisitions and divestitures will remain an important consideration for market-leading companies as they navigate the current economy," said Jeffery Weirens, a principal with Deloitte Consulting LLP. "One thing is certain, now is the time to be evaluating the organization's overall portfolio and assessing the corresponding acquisition and divestiture strategy because the longer a company sits on the sidelines during the downturn, the further it will likely lag behind during the recovery."

Paul Legere and Sachin Sondhi, principals with Deloitte Consulting LLP, can also offer insights related to the financial services industry on how the new landscape may impact future transactions. In addition, Bruce Brown, a principal with Deloitte Consulting LLP, can provide perspectives related to the automotive industry and the potential for significant merger and acquisition activity at the supplier level.

To view Weirens', Legere's, Sondhi's and Brown's points and counterpoints around these merger and acquisition issues, please go to www.deloitte.com/us/debates/m&a. This topic is one in a series of Deloitte Debates that examine today's pressing business issues from multiple perspectives. New debate topics are added weekly.

To speak with Weirens about merger and acquisition issues, please contact John La Place at +1 212-492-4267, or jlaplace@deloitte.com.

As used in this document, "Deloitte" means Deloitte Consulting LLP and Deloitte Services LP, separate subsidiaries of Deloitte LLP. Please see www.deloitte.com/us/about for a detailed description of the legal structure of Deloitte LLP and its subsidiaries.