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Lombard, the English-language Italian business magazine, reports (November, 1999) that: "Leading private-equity investors based in Italy and abroad are in a hurry to establish a presence in the Milan-Bologna-Verona triangle." The article refers to this northeastern part of Italy as "a sort of Silicon Valley for Italy's mechanical industry." The deals tend to be minority investments in small-to-medium-sized businesses, in which the returns over the last decade have ranked above comparable figures in other countries. Several factors are highlighted as explaining this trend: (1) stock exchange listings in Italy are easier now than in the past; (2) the "triangle" is the richest area in Italy; (3) generational changes in management of the companies are influencing how they do business; and (4) the situation is well-suited for leveraged buyouts, where the transactions can be completed with the help of investors who can exit a few years later through a stock exchange listing.