Mergers and acquisitions can be very cyclical in nature, occurring much more frequently when market conditions and interest rates are favorable. With the recent run of mergers we've seen just since the beginning of 2013 alone, are we heading into another M&A boom? In the following video, Motley Fool financial analyst Matt Koppenheffer takes a look at three smaller boutique investment banks in this climate, and tells investors why a spike in M&A activity could mean blue skies ahead for these small players much more so than for the bigger Wall Street banks.