We have published our latest global M&A report in which we look at the themes that we expect to see in M&A transactions in 2020.

In the report we focus on four trends:

• Environmental, social and governance (ESG) issues are now mainstream and can no longer be considered an afterthought in M&A decision making.
• Public-to-private bids have returned to the market as financial buyers perceive greater value in underpriced public equity markets than in overcrowded private auctions.
• Political intervention remains a real risk which buyers and their advisers must navigate carefully as the widespread tightening of Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) regimes continues.
• Deal disruption is the “new normal”, with threats from shareholders, from interventionist governments and from anti-trust regulators with increasing appetite to exert their powers, in many cases with the possibility of competitor intervention never far away.

We also report on the views of our colleagues on regional activity in 2019 and the outlook for 2020.

The report is available here.