In 2024, global mergers and acquisitions (M&A) volume will top $3T, up 11%. The value of deals worth more than $5B has increased 19% since the beginning of the year, while the number of deals has fallen 20% to a nine-year low.
High-profile deals include Mars’ $35.9B acquisition of Kellanova and Capital One Financial’s $35.3B acquisition of rival Discover Financial Services.
Experts expect Trump’s return to the White House to mean less scrutiny from regulators on large mergers, following the skeptical stance taken by regulators under Biden.
While M&A activity has slowed in the past three months, a flurry of deals has begun since the November US elections. The US accounted for 46% of global M&A activity this year, with deal value up 8%. During the same period, the European market experienced the same trend, growing by 20%.