Global M&As up 8.4% to US$1.49 trillion in H1 2017: Mergermarket

GLOBAL mergers and acquisitions (M&As) increased by 8.4 per cent in value in the first half of 2017 despite having fewer deals when compared to the same period last year, according to Mergermarket.

A total of 8,052 deals worth US$1.49 trillion were struck in the first six months of this year, compared to 9,169 deals worth US$1.38 trillion in the year-ago period.

The US$272.9 billion of deals from Asia excluding-Japan represented an 18.3 per cent market share, a decline from a year-ago 21.3 per cent. The United States' share also fell to 40.4 per cent from 42.8 per cent, with US$602.6 billion of deals in H1 2017.

Europe, however, saw market share rise to 32.3 per cent as deal volumes surged 28.7 per cent to US$481.9 billion.

The energy, mining and utilities sector was the most targeted industry globally by value with US$267.9 billion worth of deals made, a 51.9 per cent growth over the same period in 2016.

In the private-equity space, buyouts increased 26.7 per cent by value to US$240 billion with 1,420 deals, while exits rose 19.4 per cent to US$253.5 billion.

The second quarter was a key driver for private equity, with buyout value of US$ 153.3 billion the highest since since the second quarter of 2007. The second quarter's exit value of US$166.1 billion was also the highest on Mergermarket's record.