Executive Summary/Highlights:

• The global M&A environment continued to show historic strength in 2018, as global deal volume reached nearly US$1.3 trillion for the second quarter and US$2.5 trillion for the first half of the year.
• Global M&A activity has enjoyed a steady climb over the last several quarters and has increased sharply since Q3 2017, with global deal volume exceeding US$1.0 trillion in each of the ensuing three quarters. Q1 and Q2 2018 were two of the most active quarters for global M&A ever.
• Cross-border transactions have continued to comprise a significant portion of global deal volume, accounting for 41% of overall M&A in Q2 2018. Cross-border M&A activity has already exceeded US$1.0 trillion for the first half of 2018.
• In emerging markets, inbound M&A volume into the BRIC countries reached US$63 billion in aggregate in Q2 2018. Most notably, the volume of inbound M&A activity increased significantly in China and India during Q2 2018 as compared to prior quarters.
• Q2 was highlighted by a number of headline-grabbing mega-deals across sectors, including T‑Mobile’s combination with Sprint. The volume of transactions with values of more than US$500 million is on pace to increase approximately 65% in 2018 compared to 2017.
• The blistering pace of global M&A activity in 2018 continues to be driven by the impact and the anticipation of disruptive technologies across industries, and in the media and entertainment, telecommunications and healthcare sectors, in particular.

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