NEW YORK, Dec 11 (Reuters) - Investment bank Lazard's ( LAZ )

CEO, Peter Orszag, predicted a surge in dealmaking

momentum to continue into next year, helped by private equity

activity.

Wall Street executives have expressed optimism that the

incoming Trump administration will usher in deregulation and

more openness to mergers and acquisitions. The bullish views

come as investment banking activity recovers from a two-year dry

spell.

"There were a lot of large transactions that were being

informally discussed that now are more in 'let's see if we can

really make this happen,' and that's pretty much across the

board," Orszag said in an interview on Wednesday at the Reuters

NEXT conference in New York.

President-elect Donald Trump, who takes office on Jan. 20,

has said he will slap 25% tariffs on imports from Mexico and

Canada, as well as additional duties on Chinese goods, which

would hit companies in sectors from autos to retail and has

sparked concern among investors.

"There may have been a lot of rhetoric, but when you get to

governing and want to make sure that inflation doesn't begin to

spike, things will be done in a more tempered manner," Orszag

said.

He was also bullish about Lazard's ( LAZ ) prospects for next year.

New York-based Lazard's ( LAZ ) financial advisory revenue climbed

39% in the third quarter to $371 million, driving a 50% jump in

revenue to $785 million.

Lazard ( LAZ ) was the ninth-most active investment bank in global

M&A in the first nine months of the year, ranked by fees,

according to data from Dealogic.

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