2024 could be a big year for M&A in Canada: experts

Mergers and acquisitions are expected to heat up in Canada this year amid hopes that stagnant economic conditions will stabilize.

Michael Morrow, managing director of M&A and capital markets at BDO Canada, said mergers and acquisitions were down about 35 per cent in 2023 due to the uncertainty surrounding the economy -- but he expects pent-up corporate dealmaking will rebound in the back half of 2024 as the economy improves, with potential interest rate cuts and improving inflation figures.

“I think the first quarter will be a little bit slow as these uncertainties from 2023 linger for a little bit,” Morrow told BNNBloomberg.ca in a telephone interview.

 “Beyond that, we see some of these uncertainties starting to clear, and they've started to clear already, but … it usually takes a quarter or two for you to see it in the M&A activity.”