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QUOTE BOX-M & A seen slowing ahead of US elections after unequal third quarter

Dealmakers are bracing for a slowdown in worldwide mergers and acquisitions in the fourth quarter as companies postpone pursuing huge targets ahead of the U.S. elections, hoping this will just be a momentary obstacle before a rebound next year.

Following are comments from financial investment bankers and M&A. lawyers on the near-term outlook for dealmaking:

TOM MILES, GLOBAL CO-HEAD OF M&A, MORGAN STANLEY

We have not seen any $50 billion-plus deals. If you look in. history, you typically see a great number of larger deals. Which does move offer volume up. If that's the procedure, the. absence of $50 billion-plus offers does affect the volume number. that individuals recommendation. It is clear that the absence of larger offers. is a direct outcome of the regulative pressures that exist. It's. hard to get a $50 billion offer performed in any sector. Energy had a. few of them over the course of the last couple years, however you. have not seen many large deals in sectors like. health care and tech.

The variety of $1 billion to $10 (billion) and even $10. billion-plus deals is pretty strong. This has actually not been a sluggish. year in that regard. The corporates have actually done an excellent number of. deals in that $1 billion to $10 billion and $10 billion to $20. billion area which's been an active market. People are stating. that the market isn't very strong, but truth is that it's been. active, and corporates are continuing to release capital into. M&A.

ERIC TOKAT, CO-PRESIDENT OF INVESTMENT BANKING, CENTERVIEW. PARTNERS

I do prepare for 2025 to be a robust year for M&A. There's. quite a bit of activity throughout the board. The concern is which. ones become actual large deals, however we do see a fair bit of. momentum. When I look at the offer pipeline today, we are more. positive and more positive than negative, versus what we were. looking at a couple of quarters earlier.

JAY HOFMANN, CO-HEAD OF M&A, THE United States AND CANADA, JPMORGAN

Business are seeking to do huge, innovative deals, but will. only pull the trigger over the next couple of months if there is. low danger ... We're still in an environment where purchasers want to. negotiate down the middle of the fairway from a strategic. rationale point of view.

FRANK AQUILA, SENIOR M&A PARTNER, SULLIVAN & & CROMWELL There is a much higher level of activity with M&A being a. much higher business top priority for many clients. This is largely. because the U.S. ought to continue to have great economy - not. always the really strongest economy, but certainly not a weak. economy-- over the next year. As a result, boards and. managements are not very concerned about a recession in the near. term. Couple that with rate of interest cuts, and you definitely are. taking a look at the right environment for offers.

There is a high probability that we will see European and. Japanese business focused on doing acquisitions in the U.S . They acknowledge that there is the potential for much greater. profits and earnings development in the U.S. over the next a number of. years than in their home markets. We will see other cross-border. activity, however particularly incoming M&A in the U.S. is going to. be a focus. I think that we will see more combinations in. certain sectors, such as healthcare, monetary services and. tech. Given these signs, all of it bodes well for the last quarter. of 2024. However moreover, it truly is a signal we're going. to see a really strong start to 2025.

ADAM EMMERICH, CO-CHAIR OF WACHTELL LIPTON'S CORPORATE. DEPARTMENT

I don't think people are really clear on what either (the. Republican governmental prospect Donald Trump or Democratic. rival Kamala Harris) administration would indicate for various. different aspects of the regulative picture. Most of. deals registering now would be closing in a new administration.

EAMON BRABAZON, CO-HEAD OF EMEA M&A, BANK OF AMERICA

There's been a real expansion in both offer speed and. deal type. The complete toolbox is being used, and that's an excellent. sign.

Over the next couple of years, the expectation is that we. will see an above pattern level of sponsor exits, possibly. going beyond prior historical peaks..

(source: Reuters)