M&A Deal Activity

Amid the whiplash of “will they or won’t they” come into effect, talk of tariffs have contributed to the slowest start to the US M&A calendar in ten years. Despite market hopes that the new administration would ease regulatory pressures to support a meaningful increase in acquisition deals during 2025, the return of market volatility and recession fears has contributed to a slow down in announced M&A deals – at least for now. So far this year, 1,873 M&A deals have been announced in the US, a drop of over 30% compared to the same time last year. Globally, the news is not much better. As of early March, 7,373 M&A deals have been announced or come to market, a nearly 27% drop compared to the same time last year.