Highlights from The Deal's Annual Dealmaking Outlook Event at Nasdaq

NEW YORK, Dec. 22, 2014 /PRNewswire/ -- The Deal, TheStreet's TST institutional business, hosted its annual forecasting event, The Deal Economy: Predictions & Perspectives for 2015. Held at The Nasdaq MarketSite on December 4, the invitation-only event gathered some of the most influential members of the deal community for a series of discussions on the key trends and issues confronting dealmakers in 2015.

Videos from the event are available online. Below are some highlights from panels and speakers throughout the day:

James J. Cramer, Host, "Mad Money with Jim Cramer" & Co-Anchor, "Squawk on the Street," CNBC; Founder, TheStreet Inc. in a special keynote address:
"That's because 2015 will be the year that Coca-Cola digs deep into its pockets to buy the rest of Monster Beverage and Keurig Green Mountain that it doesn't already own... With Monster, Coca-Cola can dominate the only beverage category right now that is with double-digit growth... With Keurig it can own the hot and cold in-home do-it-yourself beverage company which will fend off home-made cola makers. These two deals could re-ignite Coke and I think save the embattled Muktar Kent."

Gracia C. Martore, President and Chief Executive Officer, Gannett Co., Inc., in the closing keynote conversation: 
"We really had to focus on meeting the needs of consumers as their consumption habits changed but being the person who had the content and the great brands that had been in those communities fifty or a hundred years. We felt that gave us a real advantage but we had to do it in a much more effective way."

Paul G. Parker, Co-Chairman, Global Mergers & Acquisitions, Goldman Sachs, in his on-stage keynote conversation: 
"I think people believe that the regulatory environment over the last six years was more favorable than they had anticipated but still tighter than what they had experienced. There's a view with a changing congress and prospects for elections in two years that is probably on a continuum of improvement as it relates to the U.S."

Mark Frackt, CFO, Buzzfeed in the Town Hall: Sustainable Innovation and Disruption as a Corporate Strategy:
"The new technologies of social and mobile that are requiring an entire new form of media to be created... So we have a significant advantage from that perspective both from technology as well as a DNA perspective which can't easily be replicated."

Spencer Fleisher, President, FFL in Industry Insights: Private Equity Update:
"You need to understand your own price tolerance relative to where you think the market will clear…We prefer to feel that we have a reason to win before we start spending the money and then make the preempt judgment once we're confident that we can actually afford to pay more than what we think the clearing price will be. Doesn't happen often."

Glenn W. Welling, Principal and Chief Investment Officer, Engaged Capital in the Activist Panel:
"The sense of urgency that the private equity firm brings to the table and their ability to really be very tough inside the board room, even in a more public way when you need to, they can't do for reputational reasons... I think we as activists will get there quicker because we just don't have the same level of patience. "

Richard Lashley, Principal, PL Capital in the Activist Panel:
"When you look at the small banks, the Fed and regulators are absolutely okay with the small banks merging. It happens every day. There will be 300 bank mergers this year, so one every business day of the year. But when you talk about top 25 to 50 banks you're wrapped up in politics of 'too big to fail.'"

Jay Koh, Managing Director and Partner, Siguler Guff in Industry Insights: Private Equity Update:
"SPACs are a sign that the end is coming, PIPEs are a sign that the end is coming. So whenever people start to do things that seem like they're not natural acts, then I'd be a little cautious. There are successful strategies that can be done there. You can buy companies and sell them as long as you know why the next person is buying them."

Stephanie Link, Chief Investment Officer and Co-Portfolio Manager of Jim Cramer's Charitable Trust "Action Alerts Plus" at TheStreet, Inc. in the Sense of the Markets panel:
"What's encouraging to me is that banks are actually lending again in the third quarter... consumer loans still are in the low single digits and so that's the area where we really need to see pickup but to me that's very encouraging."

Supporting underwriters for The Deal Economy include EY, Pepper Hamilton LLP, William Blair, McKinsey & Company, Jones Day, Houlihan Lokey, W. P. Carey, RR Donnelley Venue and The Hermitage Club.

The Deal Economy Event: "Predictions & Perspectives for 2016" will take place on Friday, December 4, 2015 at Nasdaq MarketSite in New York City's Times Square. For sponsorship and speaking inquiries about next year's event, please contact Emily Newman (212-321-5565; enewman@thedeal.com).

About The Deal
The Deal is a media and relationship capital company providing over 100,000 users with business opportunities sourced from proprietary deal news and a relationship discovery tool. Law firms, investment banks, private equity and hedge funds use The Deal's insight and analysis about potential and announced transactions to find their next deal and BoardEx's service and database for building relationships. The Deal is the institutional arm of TheStreet, Inc. and has offices in New York, London, Washington, D.C., Petaluma, CA and Chennai, India. For more information, visit www.thedeal.com.

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SOURCE TheStreet, Inc.