2016 Likely to Be Record Year for M&A Announcements

NEW YORK--(BUSINESS WIRE)--

The Intralinks Deal Flow Predictor, an indicator of future mergers and acquisitions (M&A) announcements, with a proven track record for accuracy, forecasts a 3 percent increase in the total number of M&A deals to be announced globally in FY 2016 compared to FY 2015. This would make 2016 the new peak year for the number of global deal announcements, surpassing the previous peak year of 2007. The Intralinks Deal Flow Predictor is also forecasting a five percent increase in the total number of M&A deals to be announced globally in Q1 2017 compared to Q1 2016.

"Historically, M&A activity starts to slowdown in Q3 of a U.S. presidential election year, as dealmakers watch closely to see which candidate wins the election and what policies the incoming administration might put into effect. However, this year seems to be an exception, which is surprising given the controversial nature of this year's presidential election campaign and the unexpected result," said Matt Porzio, Vice President of M&A Strategy and Product Marketing at Intralinks.

Year-over-year (YoY) growth in early-stage M&A activity in Q3 2016, which is an indicator of M&A announcements in Q1 2017, grew by seven percent globally – the fastest rate of growth so far in 2016. The uptick in activity is being driven by increased numbers of early-stage transactions in three out of the four global regions: Europe, the Middle East and Africa (EMEA, up 13 percent), Asia Pacific (APAC, up 9 percent) and North America (NA, up 5 percent). In contrast, early-stage M&A activity in Latin America (LATAM) declined by 12 percent. Globally, the strongest sectors for early-stage M&A activity are Real Estate, Energy & Power and Technology, Media/Entertainment and Telecommunications (TMT), which all increased by double-digit percentages in Q3 2016.

Regional M&A predictions according to the Intralinks Deal Flow Predictor include:

1. In APAC, M&A announcements in Q1 2017 will increase YoY, with the strongest levels of growth coming from India and South East Asia. The top three APAC sectors for YoY growth in Q1 2017 will be TMT, Industrials and Healthcare.
2. In EMEA, M&A announcements in Q1 2017 will increase YoY, with the strongest levels of growth coming from Northern Europe (Nordics and Benelux) and Southern Europe (Italy, Spain and France). The top three EMEA sectors for YoY growth in Q1 2017 will be Real Estate, Energy & Power and TMT.
3. In LATAM, M&A announcements in Q1 2017 will decrease YoY, with the strongest declines coming from Mexico and Brazil. Argentina and Chile will show increased levels of M&A announcements. The only LATAM sector that will show YoY growth in Q1 2017 will be Energy & Power. The LATAM sectors with the steepest YoY declines will be Healthcare, Consumer & Retail and TMT.
4. In NA, M&A announcements in Q1 2017 will increase YoY, with Canada contributing stronger growth than the US. The top three NA sectors for YoY growth in Q1 2017 will be Real Estate, Energy & Power and Materials.

The Intralinks Deal Flow Predictor forecasts the number of future M&A deal announcements by tracking early-stage M&A activity – sell side M&A transactions across the world that are in preparation or have reached the due diligence stage. These early-stage deals are, on average, six months away from their public announcement. The Intralinks Deal Flow Predictor has been independently verified as an accurate predictor of future changes in the global number of announced M&A transactions, as reported by Thomson Reuters.

To find out more, download the complete Intralinks Deal Flow Predictor report here.

About the Intralinks Deal Flow Predictor

The Intralinks Deal Flow Predictor provides Intralinks' perspective on the level of M&A due diligence activity taking place during any given period of time. The statistics contained in the Intralinks Deal Flow Predictor represent the volume of virtual data rooms (VDRs) opened, or proposed to be opened, through Intralinks or other providers for the purpose of conducting due diligence on proposed transactions including asset sales, divestitures, equity private placements, financings, capital raises, joint ventures, alliances and partnerships. These statistics are not adjusted for changes in Intralinks' share of the VDR market or changes in market demand for VDR services. These statistics may not correlate to the volume of completed transactions that may be reported by market data providers and should not be construed to represent the volume of transactions that will ultimately be consummated during any period of time. Indications of future completed deal activity derived from the Intralinks Deal Flow Predictor are based on assumed rates of deals going from due diligence stage to completion. In addition, the statistics reported by market data providers may be compiled with a different set of transaction types than those set forth above.

THIS PRESS RELEASE AND THE INTRALINKS DEAL FLOW PREDICTOR (COLLECTIVELY THE "MATERIALS") ARE PROVIDED "AS IS" FOR INFORMATIONAL PURPOSES ONLY. INTRALINKS MAKES NO GUARANTEE, REPRESENTATION OR WARRANTY OF ANY KIND REGARDING THE TIMELINESS, ACCURACY OR COMPLETENESS OF THE CONTENT OF THE MATERIALS. THESE MATERIALS ARE BASED ON INTRALINKS' OBSERVATIONS AND SUBJECTIVE INTERPRETATIONS OF DUE DILIGENCE ACTIVITY TAKING PLACE, OR PROPOSED TO TAKE PLACE, ON INTRALINKS' OR OTHER PROVIDERS' VDR PLATFORMS FOR A LIMITED SET OF TRANSACTION TYPES. THESE MATERIALS ARE NOT INTENDED TO BE AN INDICATOR OF INTRALINKS' BUSINESS PERFORMANCE OR OPERATING RESULTS FOR ANY PRIOR, CURRENT OR FUTURE PERIOD, NOR ARE THESE MATERIALS INTENDED TO PROMISE, GUARANTEE OR ASSURE FUTURE LEVELS OF COMPLETED DEAL ACTIVITY. THESE MATERIALS ARE NOT INTENDED TO CONVEY INVESTMENT ADVICE OR SOLICIT INVESTMENTS OF ANY KIND WHATSOEVER.

THE INTRALINKS DEAL FLOW PREDICTOR MAY BE USED SOLELY FOR PERSONAL, NON-COMMERCIAL USE. THE CONTENTS OF THE INTRALINKS DEAL FLOW PREDICTOR MAY NOT BE REPRODUCED, DISTRIBUTED OR PUBLISHED WITHOUT THE EXPRESS WRITTEN PERMISSION OF INTRALINKS. FOR PERMISSION TO REPUBLISH INTRALINKS DEAL FLOW PREDICTOR CONTENT, PLEASE CONTACT info@intralinks.com.

About Intralinks

Intralinks Holdings, Inc. IL is a global content collaboration company that provides cloud-based solutions to control the sharing, distribution and management of high value content within and across organizations according to the highest-level of security and the most stringent compliance regulations. Over 90,000 clients, 99% of the Fortune 1000 companies, have depended on Intralinks' to digitally transform and simplify critical business processes, and secure high-value information. With a 20-year track record of enabling high-stakes transactions and business collaborations valued at more than $31.3 trillion, Intralinks is a trusted provider of easy-to-use, enterprise strength, cloud-based collaboration technology. For more information, visit www.intralinks.com.

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