London

CHIEF executives got their deal-making confidence back in 2014, emboldened by a clearer outlook for their businesses to take the global value for mergers and acquisitions (M&A) to their highest annual level since 2007.

The total was boosted by a rush of large deals in the telecoms, healthcare and consumer sectors, with transactions, some of which had been contemplated for years, promising to cause a chain reaction as rivals move to defend their territory.