Where's the M&A action, now that blockbuster deals are dead? Try the middle market, where deal volume is holding steady for the quarter, although valuations are down. Speaking at The Deal's M&A Outlook 2009 event in New York this week, John Howard, CEO of private equity firm Irving Place Capital, says in this video interview not to expect any big leveraged transactions in the first half of next year, predicting that mid-market dealmaking will begin to pick up toward the end of 2009. --Alain Sherter
