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Mergers Hit Seven-Year Peak in 2014
There were 40,298 M&A deals worth almost $3.5T in 2014, the most since 2007. Cheap debt and a booming stock market both factored into the banner M&A year, which included monsters like the $66B Actavis-Allergan and $45B Time Warner-Comcast transcactions. But Dealbook points out that the primary force behind the wave was an increased acceptance in board rooms that scene-stealing acquisitions, rather than individual moves, have become the surest way to expand companies.
The energy sector and Big Pharma led the M&A charge, accounting for 11.7% and 6% of activity. And Goldman Sachs was the most frequent financial advisor on the deals, gobbling up 29% of market share.
