The effects of the post-pandemic recovery continue to surprise. Abundant liquidity and strong corporate earnings have led to a boom in mergers and acquisitions in the first half of 2021, according to an analysis by the consulting firm EY, with a record-breaking total of US$2.6 trillion, well above the US$926,000 million from the same period last year and the average of US$1.6 trillion for the first half of the year recorded between 2015 and 2019. North America accounted for the most activity, with US$1.4 trillion, followed by the Asia-Pacific region. By sector, technology continues to lead, but media and entertainment stand out due to the size of their transactions and the growth in mergers and acquisitions of ESG companies (those that meet environmental, social, and governance standards), especially those related to renewable energy.