Global Acquirer Trends Report, Q2 2018 - UK rides the global wave of dealmaking with strong second quarter

Despite a growing threat of trade wars and other political disruptions, the global mid-cap mergers and acquisitions (M&A) market stayed strong in the second quarter, with 2,632 transactions reported worldwide, just over a one percent increase from 2,595 in Q1.

As usual, North America led the world in mid-market M&A transactions, generating over half the volume with 1,434 deals of the 2,632 deals reported, down slightly from 1,452 reported in Q1. The next-largest market was the United Kingdom & Ireland with 397, a 15% increase from 344 in the prior quarter. The DACH and Nordics regions had 272 and 262, which was on par with 279 and 268 from Q1, respectively; and finally Indochina saw 147, compared to 139 and Iberia had 124 vs 113 in Q1.

Daniel Domberger, at Arrowpoint Advisory, commented: “Despite a growing threat of trade wars and other political disruptions, the M&A market remains strong, deal activity has thus far defied the political uncertainty we see at home and abroad. Whilst 2018 has not reached the bumper levels we saw in 2017, UK businesses should take comfort from the fact that we are still very much the go-to destination for international buyers, both in Europe and further afield. It's particularly encouraging to see a renewal in US interest in the country.”

Daniel was also invited and appeared live on the Sky's 'Ian King Live', where he spoke about how investment into UK Businesses has grown, what's driving the surge in M&A volumes, and what we can expect to come. You can watch the full interview on Sky Catch-Up or view the interview clip here.

Global Acquirer Trends is a quarterly report focusing on M&A activity across key international markets.

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