Corporate boardrooms remained abuzz with deal activities in 2016 with mergers and acquisitions worth over $52-billion and the tally may get even bigger in the new year on growing interest of global investors in the Indian businesses. The surge in deal value this year was largely driven by big-ticket transactions and consolidation in many sectors, experts said, while adding that similar trends may continue going forward in 2017.
They said the new year looks promising in terms of domestic, inbound as well as outbound deals, but this outlook is dependent on macro-economic trends and reforms in sectors like infrastructure and power among others. According to consultancy major EY, the total quantum of announced deal value for 2016 is estimated at $52.6 billion, sharply higher than $31.3 billion in 2015, though the deal count declined to 756 deals (from 886 deals in 2015).