Deals
M&A Deals Come Roaring Back as Executives Plot Post-Covid Future
- Year started slow and then accelerated in second half
- Bankers expect M&A momentum to extend into next year
Photographer: Jewel Samad/AFP/Getty Images
This article is for subscribers only.
Global merger and acquisition activity clawed its way back from near-decade lows in 2020, facing down the Covid-19 pandemic with a string of large transactions in the second half of the year that dealmakers hope will continue.
Deal volumes are now down about 6% for the year to $3.5 trillion, according to data compiled by Bloomberg. Still, the fact that about two-thirds of those were inked since the start of July has advisers talking about a dramatic comeback, after the first half of 2020 froze M&A and sent North American deal activity down more than 50%.