CDT Roundup: 14 Deals, 13 Firms, 122 Lawyers, $8.94B

First-quarter mergers and acquisitions activity surpassed the first quarters of 2018 and 2019; North America dominated the space when measured by total deal value; and private equity buyouts are red hot. Those are some of the key takeaways from Mergermarket’s Global & Regional M&A Report for the first quarter of 2021.

In 1Q, M&A activity hit $1.16 trillion, eclipsing previous blistering first quarters in 2018 and 2019 and making it one of the active first quarters in history, according to the report. The momentum continued after a robust fourth quarter in 2020, as deal flow ticked up again after hesitations in the first and second quarters tied to the Covid-19 pandemic. The technology, media and telecommunications sector led the activity, accounting for 29.7% of deal value.