Glencore International Plc's $41 billion purchase of XstrataPlc, the biggest takeover in almost three years, may help restoreconfidence in dealmaking amid evidence global economic turmoil issubsiding.

Glencore's proposed takeover, the biggest mining transactionever, is the latest sign executives are becoming bolder aftermergers and acquisitions in January slumped to the lowest levelsince August 2009, the slowest start to a year in almost a decade,according to data compiled by Bloomberg.

While takeovers are down 29 percent from a year ago, encouragingeconomic data from the U.S. and progress in European debt talks mayunleash pent-up demand for acquisitions, bankers say. Europeanbuyers have accounted for 43 percent of this year's M&A volume,and keeping that pace would snap a four-year decline in Europe'sshare of global transactions, Bloomberg data show.