
Global M&A dealmaking smashes all-time record to top $5 trillion
CNN
Global merger and acquisition (M&A) activity shattered all-time records in 2021, comfortably erasing the high-water mark that was set nearly 15 years ago, as an abundance of capital and sky-high valuations fueled frenetic levels of dealmaking.
The value of M&A globally topped $5 trillion for the first time ever, with volumes rising 63% to $5.63 trillion by Dec. 16, according to Dealogic data, easily surpassing the pre-financial-crisis record of $4.42 trillion in 2007.
"Corporate balance sheets are incredibly healthy, sitting on $2 trillion of cash in the US alone — and access to capital remains widely-available at historically low costs," said Chris Roop, who co-heads North America M&A at JPMorgan.

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