( HES) for $53 billion.Īs of earlier this month, the value of M&A and related transactions was down about a quarter this year to $2.7 trillion, according to data compiled by Bloomberg, which would be the lowest total since 2013, the last time that deal values didn't exceed $3 trillion in a year. Other notable deals in recent months include some of the biggest of the year, centered in the oil patch, including Exxon Mobil's ( XOM) planned $60 billion acquisition of Pioneer Natural Resources ( PXD) and Chevron's ( CVX) purchase of Hess Corp. Nippon Steel ( OTCPK:NISTF) also agreed to buy US Steel ( X) for $14 billion on Monday. The Karuna acquisition came just weeks after Abbvie ( ABBV) agreed to buy Cerevel Therapeutics ( CERE) for $8.7 billion and Abbvie ( ABBV) agreed to plunk down $10.1 billion for drugmaker ImmunoGen ( IMGN). The end of 2023 has seen several large deals, even on Friday with Bristol Myers Squibb's ( NYSE: BMY) planned $14 billion purchase of Karuna Therapeutics ( NASDAQ: KRTX). 'With the recent strength in markets and reduced volatility, people are feeling more comfortable.' 'Clients are more actively calling, and people are picking up pencils on processes that are ready to kick off,' Michele Cousins, head of leveraged capital markets for the Americas at UBS, said at a UBS press briefing earlier this month.

Merger & acquisition activity is expected to increase next year as borrowing is expected to be easier and companies are undeterred by antitrust regulators' attempts to block deals. Zhanna Hapanovich/iStock via Getty Images

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