What will be driving M&A as we head into to 2025? In this roundtable discussion at the Charlotte Smart Business Dealmakers Conference, Murphy Clark of Inspira Financial, Patty Comer of AccruePartners and Greg Fornelli of SRI and Stock Car Steel & Aluminum talk with First National Bank’s David Sedor about the drivers behind valuations, assessing and retaining talent during an acquisition, how interest rates are impacting M&A, and more.Here's an excerpt:

“I think we're on par for a white-hot economy right now with the stock market at all time highs, gold at all time highs, crypto at all time highs, interest rates going down, housing at all time highs. We aren’t in a market where the Fed should be cutting still. I know the consensus was 100 more basis points by June. I don't think the data supports it but I think that Powell will still make at least, maybe, two more cuts. But I think in the second half of next year we could find ourselves in a data-dependent environment, back in a tightening cycle. And I know that the new administration will do everything they can to make sure that doesn't happen. But I think we're just at that moment where there's so much gasoline on the fire that, like, what are the implications of that in 12 to 18 months from now?”

You can hear the full discussion on the podcast.