By Business & Finance 
A new survey by KPMG of corporates and advisors has shown that mergers and acquisitions (M&A) will be higher in 2018.
57% of respondents of the KPMG survey said they expected deals to top those of last year. Only 8% said they would fall. in 2017, domestic deals stood at 210, while in 2016 they were at 181.
KPMG Ireland Partner and Head of Transaction Services Mark Collins said: “The current environment continues to be favourable for deal-making.
“This is underpinned by more robust corporate profits, access to capital and lower stock market volatility, all of which contribute to enhanced confidence levels.”
34% of respondents said activity would be negatively affected by Brexit; 36% said Brexit would have a positive impact by increasing deal activity.
According to David O’Kelly, KPMG Ireland Partner, the expected increase is due to Irish companies’ strong performance in the growing economy.
Reasons for incomplete deals, the survey found, are due to aspects such as unexpected diligence, lack of readiness and deal team competence. 55% of people noted these reasons.
