2021 was a year of economic surprises, despite the global health crisis. This was particularly true for mergers and acquisitions, which set records last year in both value and number of transactions, according to a report by S&P Global. M&A transactions totaled US$4.04 trillion in 2021, compared with US$2.5 trillion the previous year.

Several notable figures. On the one hand, the average transaction value was US$90.1 million, compared to US$69.7 million last year. On the other hand, there was strong growth in transactions in the financial sector, which rose 124% compared to 2020 and led the way in terms of transaction volume. That said—a sign of the times—the real estate sector showed a sharp acceleration in the last quarter of 2021, taking first place with US$169,500 million. 

You can view the summary at https://pages.marketintelligence.spglobal.com/MnA-Q421Recap-Demo-Request.html