COVID-19 pandemic or not, H1 mergers and acquisitions soar 44% to $49.34 bn

Despite the second wave of Covid-19 that ousted normal life, Deal Street was full in the first half of 2021, closing 44 percent more deals worth $ 49.34 billion than the same period in the year 2020, also of the first wave of deadly viral infections, shows an industry report.

Mergers and acquisitions (M & As) totaled $ 34.3 billion in the same period in 2020.

The transaction volume rose by 5 percent from 693 in the previous year to 730, according to the latest data from Refinitiv, the arm of the LSE group that deals with financial market data.

Of the total cross-border mergers and acquisitions, 210 transactions totaled $ 21.73 billion, up from $ 16.02 billion for 195 transactions in the same period in 2020.

Globally, quarterly mergers and acquisitions exceeded $ 1 trillion for the fourth straight quarter, the strongest year-over-year percentage growth on record.

Global mergers and acquisitions totaled $ 2.8 trillion in the first half, a record 132 percent year-over-year increase. This is the strongest opening to deals since records began in 1980. Of those deals in excess of $ 10 billion, up 94 percent, while deals of $ 1 billion to $ 5 billion saw triple-digit percentage gains.

U.S. deals soared to an all-time high of $ 1.4 trillion, up 264 percent year over year, European deals rose 33 percent to $ 556 billion, and Asia Pacific deals rose 83 percent $ 551.6 billion time high.

Technology, industry, finance, energy, and energy have led Deal Street so far this year.

While the technology sector accounted for a record 24 percent of the total volume at 664.2 billion US dollars, an increase of 363 percent over the previous year, the industrial sector accounted for 11 percent at 306 billion US dollars, an increase of 60 percent. Financials were 11 percent at $ 295 billion, more than double the prior year.

PE-backed buyouts doubled to a record high of $ 512.7 billion, up 152% year over year. Private equity-backed buyouts account for 18 percent. As measured by the number of transactions, PE-backed M&A worldwide rose 74 percent, the highest since 1980.

Goldman Sachs maintained the top position in global mergers and acquisitions as Dealmakers Angel, backed by top rankings in the US, Europe and Japan, while Morgan Stanley was top spot in Asia Pacific.

Led by Evercore Partners and Lazard, 10 independent consulting firms were ranked among the top 25 global financial advisors during the year.

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