Global M&A Activity in 2021 Hit Historic Records of $5 Trillion

Photo by Carlos Muza on Unsplash

As we are closing the year 2021, it must have been the best time for the global Mergers & Acquisition (M&A) market.

According to Dealogic data, Global M&A activity volume hit a new record in 2021, easily surpassing the pre-financial-crisis records of $4.42 trillion in 2007. The value reached all-time records to top $5 trillion, with volumes rising 63% to $5.63 trillion by December 16.

The key takeaway, according to Refinitiv:

1. In the U.S alone, target M&A has surged 139% to the US $2 trillion.
2. PE deals have more than doubled to hit a record US $839.6 billion, and the number of M&A deals was up by 65% concentrated in sectors including tech, healthcare, and retail
3. So far in 2021, 757 deals worth more than a billion dollars have been announced, which is over 17% deals out of total 45,549 deals in 2021.
4. M&A rankings for the top advisors show that Goldman Sachs taking top place in every region, followed by JPMorgan, Morgan Stanley, Citi and BofA Securities consecutively in the worldwide, U.S. and European tables.
5. Technology and healthcare, which typically account for the biggest share of the M&A market, led the way again in 2021.