US Dealmaking Thrived in 2016 and Is Expected to Continue According to a New Report by White & Case and Mergermarket

NEW YORK, Jan. 31, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Global law firm White & Case LLP and M&A data provider, Mergermarket today released a new report, Building Momentum: US M&A in 2016. The report uses Mergermarket data to highlight the key factors and trends driving dealmaking in the US, while focusing on key sectors and private equity activity, as well as the US fintech sector.

The report finds that despite a slow start, US M&A has proven resilient during the last 12 months and confidence is high that 2017 will be another good year for dealmaking. It also takes an in-depth look at private equity, various global markets and industry sectors such as TMT, pharma, energy and fintech and AI. The entire report can be viewed by clicking here. 

"The last year was up and down a little bit but overall, it was a strong year for M&A," says John Reiss, the Global Head of White & Case's Mergers & Acquisitions Group. "Despite the bumpiness, 2016's uncertainty was always very temporary and quickly abated."

Report highlights include:

• Compared to a slow start to M&A deal activity in early 2016, the US M&A market is on track to deliver a strong 2017.
• The value of US M&A was up 66 percent in the second half of 2016, compared to the first. And although value (US$1.5 trillion) and volume (5,084 deals announced) were both down compared to 2015, 2016 ended as the second-highest volume year since 2007.
• October, in particular, saw a material uptick in announced big-ticket transactions, including AT&T's US$105.04 billion deal to acquire Time Warner and CenturyLink's US$34.4 billion takeover of Level 3 Communications.
• Driving much of the action during 2016 is the technology, media and telecommunications (TMT) sector, which continues to dominate deal flow in terms of volume—with 1,114 deals in 2016 worth US$363 billion. Industrials and chemicals was the second busiest sector in terms of volume—with 832 deals worth US$207.12 billion.

Uncertainty around some high-profile broken deals, the UK's Brexit vote and the US Presidential election has washed out of the market and the outlook for 2017 is positive.