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By Matthew Quinn
The value of worldwide mergers and acquisitions through the end of April totaled $696.0 billion, a 19 percent increase over the same period a year earlier, according to data from Thomson Reuters.
April, however, was a disappointment. With $141 billion in mergers announced during the month, April marked the slowest month for worldwide M&A activity since August 2009.
The biggest deal of the month was CenturyLink's merger agreement with Qwest Communications, valued at $22.3 billion, including debt.
The second largest deal was Newcrest Mining's $7.9 billion bid for Lihir Gold, which the Papa New Guinea-based company rejected.
Five of the 10 largest deals during the month were in the energy and power sector. The largest such deal was PPL Corp.'s $7.6 billion acquisition of the US assets of Germany-based E.ON.
Goldman Sachs topped the M&A financial advisor league tables through the first four months of 2010. Despite enduring seemingly endless negative publicity, Goldman advised on 87 deals totaling $176 billion. Credit Suisse was second, with 79 deals worth $158 billion. JP Morgan Chase, Deutsche Bank and Morgan Stanley rounded out the top five.
Buyouts led by private equity firms or private equity portfolio companies total $39.9 billion so far this year, more than double the activity seen in the same period a year earlier.
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