The Asia Pacific region is expected to show the strongest growth in M&A activity over the next two quarters, said Matt Porzio, SVP, SS&C Intralinks.
According to the company, the number of announced M&A deals in Asia Pacific is predicted to increase by 4% year-over-year over the next six months, within a range of -3 to 12%, led by the sectors including real estate, energy and power, and finance.
Market-wise, China, Hong Kong, India, Japan and Australasia are expected to make the strongest contributions, Intralinks noted.
Other regions
Europe, the Middle East and Africa: the number of announced M&A deals is predicted to increase by 1% YOY in the first half of the year, within a range of -6 to 9%
Latin America: the number of announced M&A deals is predicted to decrease by 6% YOY in the first half of the year, within a range of 2 to -12%. However, where there is growth, sectors including materials, energy and power, and TMT are predicted to lead the way.
North America: the number of announced M&A deals is predicted to increase by 3% YOY over the next six months, within a range of -6 to 14% , led by sectors including finance, consumer and retail, and energy and power.
The SS&C Intralinks Deal Flow Predictor forecasts the number of future M&A announcements by tracking early-stage M&A activity, defined as new sell-side M&A transactions that are in preparation or have begun their due diligence stage, the company said, adding that early-stage deals are on average six months away from public announcement.
