Coming off a record year, global merger and acquisition activity got off to a strong start once again in January, Refinitiv reports.
Global M&A activity came in at US$364 billion in January, which was up 28% from the same month last year, and is the third best January on record.
Refinitiv said that January 2022 ranked just behind January 2018 (US$369.1 billion), but well below January 2000 (US$516.2 billion).
Deal activity surged in Europe, with US$128.0 billion worth of deals announced, up 155% from January 2021.
At the same time, deals involving a U.S. target were up 11% from last year to US$168.1 billion, whereas activity was essentially flat in Asia at US$51.0 billion, Refinitiv reported.
The tech sector continued to lead in deal volume, with US$124.9 billion worth of transactions in January, up 85% from the same month last year. This was the strongest January on record for the tech sector, the firm noted.
Refinitiv also reported that private equity-backed M&A transactions totalled US$42.2 billion in January, up by 15% from the same month last year, but down by 55% from December 2021.