A total of 837 deals were announced globally during the week ended 29 March 2020, according to GlobalData’s deals database.
The number marked a decrease of 19.7% when compared with the 1,042 deals announced during the previous week.
The subdued activity, which has been continuing over the past few weeks, might be attributed to volatile market conditions since the outbreak of the coronavirus (COVID-19).
Most of the key markets experienced a plunge in deal activity during the week ended 29 March 2020 compared to the earlier week.
Deal volume declined by 21.5% in the US, while the UK and China saw volumes dropping by 32% and 4.4%, respectively.
With respect to sectors, travel and tourism witnessed decline in deal activity, while healthcare (including pharmaceuticals and medical equipment) and retail experienced improvement in deal activity.
There was also a decline in volume in most key deal types. Mergers and acquisitions (M&A) deal volume decreased by 36.4%, and the number of private equity, venture financing and partnerships deals dropped by 52.7%, 22.5% and 7.6%, respectively.
The number of licensing agreements, however, increased to 25 from ten in the previous week.
