Global M&A Up 19% In 2010

Global mergers rose 19% this year from last year and the top M&A adviser in 2010 was Goldman Sachs, according to data published by Thomson Reuters.

Global M&A to date totals $2.3 trillion, up from $1.9 trillion. The U.S. accounted for 34% of the world's corporate marriages.

Within the U.S., mergers and acquisitions rose 11% to $773 billion in 2010.

The top adviser of global M&A was Goldman Sachs, up from second place last year. Goldman was also the top adviser of M&A in the United States.

The No. 2 adviser for global M&A was Morgan Stanley and JPMorgan ranked third. Both had similar rankings in U.S. mergers.

According to Thomson Reuters, the final three months of 2010 were the weakest in terms of corporate marriages since 2008 when Lehman Brothers' failure roiled the credit markets.

In the European Union, M&A is at its lowest level since 2003; Europe saw $144 billion worth of mergers and acquisitions, down 13% from the previous year.

Meanwhile, the energy and power sector was the most active. Announced M&A targeting energy and power reached $482 billion, up 38% from 2009. Much of this sector’s activity was concentrated in the U.S., where 47%, or $226.2 billion worth of transactions were completed.

Meanwhile, emerging market M&A totaled $378.5 billion – 17% of all M&A. That is the largest percentage on record.

Aleksandrs Rozens is editor of Investors Dealers Digst.

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