In the past two years, investment bankers relying on fee income from mergers and acquisitions (M&As) have been optimistic in January, only to see the deal volume fall or remain flat. However, this year might be different, as companies are hiring bankers and M&A lawyers to assess the increasing opportunities. Investment-banking fees generated from advisory services and debt and equity issuance rose 4.9 per cent to an estimated $53.4 billion in 2013, according to data compiled by Bloomberg