Dealmakers are set for another banner year in 2026 with a record number of deals in the pipeline, as CEOs seek out the safety of scale to weather mounting economic and geopolitical risks, JPMorgan's Global Head of Advisory and M&A, Anu Aiyengar, told Reuters in an interview. Last year was the second-best on record for M&A activity, worth $5.1-trillion, despite stomach-churning market gyrations that followed US President Donald Trump's shifting trade policies and a government shutdown that halted US IPOs for more than six weeks.
The proposed merger of London-listed miner Anglo American and Canada's Teck Resources is heading for antitrust clearance in Europe after EU regulators signalled the absence of competition concerns, according to a European Commission filing. The EU competition enforcer is reviewing the deal, the second-largest ever in the mining sector, under a simplified procedure after the companies sought approval on Tuesday.