Dealmakers adrift as US$1 trillion vanishes

Deal volumes are down 42% year-on-year at US$1.3 trillion (RM6.07 trillion), according to data compiled by Bloomberg. Excluding Covid-impacted 2020, that’s the smallest first-half total in a decade and below the average for the period. — Bloomberg

NEW YORK: The world’s dealmakers are roughly US$1 trillion (RM4.67 trillion) down in one of the worst years for takeovers and stock market listings in a decade.

That’s the year-on-year drop in the value of mergers and acquisitions (M&As) and initial public offerings (IPOs) in the first half, a period in which inflationary pressures, financing constraints and geopolitical tensions nixed activity across regions and sectors.