Global M&A activity goes above $3trn for the year – and healthcare takes the crown
The total value of global mergers and acquisitions has surpassed $3trn (£1.9trn) for 2015, according to figures released by Dealogic.
It is the fastest this point has been reached since 2007, when total activity went above $3trn on 23 July. In 2014 the point was not passed until November.
The deal that pushed it above the mark was made last week on 11 August, when Carlyle Group and GIC made a $8bn bid for Symantec Corp’s Veritas data storage business.
Healthcare the biggest sector
The healthcare industry has been the queen of mergers and acquisitions this year, with total deals amounting to $482.3bn. We are only seven months in, and already this has exceeded the full year record of $430bn achieved by the industry in 2014.
Technology and oil & gas fall into second and third place, with total deals reaching $382bn and $294.2bn, respectively.
The biggest individual deal goes to Royal Dutch Shell, which has a pending bid of $81.5bn for BG Group.