TransCanada's deal to acquire Columbia Pipeline Group comes as many of the largest pipeline companies are hungry to buy their competitors but wary of commitment in a quickly shifting market. According to Riccardo Bertocco, a partner with Bain & Company who has been forecasting a wave of midstream acquisitions, said that the 10% premium TransCanada ended up paying was a sign that buyers and sellers may be coming close enough together on asset values to ink deals. "It’s a good signal for M&A going forward," he said.