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Record M&A Activity: How Long Will It Last?

With $2.1 trillion of transactions in the first half, 2018 is on track to beat 2007’s $4.1 trillion total.

By Nabila Ahmed, Ruth David & Elizabeth Fournier | Updated on July 11, 2018

Multibillion dollar deals that will reshape the healthcare and media industries have set 2018 on course to be the biggest year on record for global mergers and acquisitions (M&A). Now, after an unprecedented five years of bumper activity, dealmakers are starting to sound a note of caution.

Companies announced $2.1 trillion of transactions in the first half of 2018, putting this year on track to beat 2007’s $4.1 trillion total, according to data compiled by Bloomberg. Twenty-four acquisitions valued at more than $10 billion bolstered the numbers, the data show, including Takeda Pharmaceutical Co.’s $62 billion purchase of Shire Plc and T-Mobile US Inc’s $26.5 billion takeover of Sprint Corp.

As the M&A juggernaut rolls on, some advisers are starting to ask how much longer the delirium can continue. Unlike the 2000 dot-com bubble or 2007’s subprime-mortgage crisis, though, this time there’s no one clear threat looming. Instead, a myriad of warning signs are cited as potential hazards.

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