What Can 2007 Teach Us About 2008?

Overview 2007 was a tumultuous year for U.S. businesses and employees, filled with extreme highs and disappointing lows. Private equity garnered nearly $400 billion in mega deals in merely six months, and news of multiple billion-dollar acquisitions (Chrysler, Alltel and CKX) illustrated a trend of public companies going private. However, financial markets soon shifted and companies felt the backlash. Lenders scrutinized borrowers with tougher standards, limiting access to capital.

After several months of market volatility, market direction remains unclear. We face a Catch-22: business leaders are conservative in making projections as they look for a cue from the markets, and the markets look for a cue from business leaders regarding new initiatives.

Each month, Tatum, LLC surveys its financial and technology executives regarding current business conditions and economic trends. With nearly 1,000 executives serving companies of all sizes across a broad base of industries in every geographic region of the United States, the Tatum Survey of Business Conditions takes a representative pulse of business activity. This document contains results and analysis from Tatum's Survey of Business Conditions from May through December 2007. Survey topics include private equity, M&A, regulatory compliance and reporting, and financial executive pressures.