Global M&A value reached $3.3 trillion in the first nine months of 2018, an increase of 37% while the number of deals decreased by 9% when compared to the same period in 2017. Despite this record-breaking M&A activity, announced deals in the third quarter slowed by 32% to $743 billion when compared to the $1.2 trillion deals announced in 2Q 2018. In the US, deal value rose by 50% to $1.3 trillion, but the number of deals dropped 12% to 9,239.
100 mega deals, transactions over $5 billion, were announced, making up $1.4 billion (43%) of overall M&A value. Top sectors by value included energy and power ($547 billion), healthcare ($358 billion) and technology ($325 billion).
Click on our infographic for a closer look at M&A in the first nine months of 2018.
