Do you hear sleigh bells ringing? It's probably wedding bells. Since the first well-documented use of a diamond ring in a marriage proposal back in 15th century Austria, the tradition has flourished, and December now marks the peak of engagement season in the West with twice as many marriage proposals. But this year, it’s not only ‘interpersonal mergers’ spiking — we also saw a record-setting "Merger Monday" on December 9th with $40 billion in M&A deals signed across the U.S.
This uptick reflects a renewed focus on growth among global CEOs: three out of four NYSE CEOs we surveyed view M&A as a key growth opportunity for their businesses. However, there are concerns that market optimism could diminish.
