Prairie Middle Market Perspective

After four long months of the 2020 pandemic, much has changed in the U.S. economy and the deal business. Legions of medical professionals and scientists are studying the COVID-19 virus and deepening our knowledge of this disease to develop more effective patient treatment regiments. Additionally, a wide variety of global drug companies are researching legacy drugs for potential use against the virus and working to develop new antivirals and vaccines to combat the disease. Without a vaccine on the immediate horizon, the level of uncertainty relating to the COVID-19 disease remains high. That uncertainty produces a negative impact on business owners, M&A deals and the capital markets. However, as time goes on, we are growing more accustomed to living with the virus; our perception of health risk trade-offs is changing, and personal mobility is increasing. In addition, more people are participating in activities outside the home, businesses are reopening, and people are slowly returning to a more traditional work schedule. Now that the economy is beginning to hit an upward trend, we are starting to visualize a long run path to more normalized business activity.