JPMorgan Sees Global Political Tumult Putting a Lid on Megadeals

Global political tumult is likely to dampen businesses’ appetite for megadeals in 2019, according to JPMorgan Chase & Co.’s global co-head for mergers and acquisitions Hernan Cristerna.

On the heels of a year that’s been one of the best for dealmakers since 2007, concerns about a U.S.-China trade war, Brexit and growing nationalism are likely to trigger a slowdown in transactions that are bigger than $10 billion, Cristerna said in an interview with Bloomberg Television’s Francine Lacqua and Tom Keene. His bank ranks third globally in advising on 2018’s takeovers, with its scoresheet including the biggest deal of the year: Takeda Pharmaceutical Co.’s $62 billion acquisition of Shire Plc.