We promise not to write something every time there’s a surge in mergers and acquisitions, but we wanted to note that there has, in fact, been the sort of increase that we expected. Deals are out there, and financing is available, as was noted in The New York Times. Good deals will position companies well as we make the slow climb out of the Great Recession.

Bad deals, of course, will not. So those considering M&A still need to stress test their ideas to weed out the bad ones or at least to be fully aware of potential problems and negotiate more carefully.