Mergermarket, an Acuris company, has released their full year 2017 global M&A trend report. Highlights of the report include:
- Global M&A fell just short of previous years, as uncertainty appeared to take its toll on investments. M&A dipped 3.2% by value to US$ 3.15tn (18,433 deals) in comparison to 2016 (US$ 3.26tn, 18,592 deals). This makes the fourth consecutive year with M&A breaking the US$ 3tn barrier.
- The year ended on a high with December seeing the largest monthly total of the year with five megadeals in the final month, including the two largest deals of the year – Disney acquiring Fox’s entertainment assets for US$ 68.4bn and the US$ 67.8bn tie up between CVS and Aetna.
- Cross-border activity has once again been a key component of M&A in 2017 as confidence wanes in several regions it appears dealmakers are pursuing a strategy of spreading risk over consolidating within home markets despite the global geopolitical uncertainty.
- The Technology sector hit its highest annual deal count on Mergermarket record (since 2001) as investors look towards the latest developments in the industry such as IoT, autonomous vehicles and blockchain. Companies adapting to changing habits saw the Consumer sector surge, reflected in the acquisitions of Reynolds America, Luxottica and Whole Foods, with a total of six takeovers in the sector worth over US$ 10bn.
‘The next wave of technology is driving M&A across all sectors as people change the way they consume media, products and services.’ – Jonathan Klonowski, Research Editor (EMEA) at Mergermarket.
Goldman Sachs & Co. led the financial advisor rankings having advised on 315 deals globally worth US$ 878.1bn.
The Walt Disney Company’s acquisition of Twenty-First Century Fox Inc’s entertainment assets was the largest deal of the year worth US$ 68.4bn.
Click here to access the full report with financial advisor league tables.
Click here to access the full report with legal advisor league tables.