• Improving GDP prompts deal confidence
• 2018 M&A transactions highest on record
• Deals expected in TMT, energy and health sectors

Last Thursday at Mergermarket’s annual Financial Services Forum in NYC, several speakers from major financial institutions identified emerging markets, private credit and fintech as major growth areas for traditional and alternative asset managers. 

Brazilians head to the polls again on Sunday to decide who will run the country for the next four years during a second round that appears clearer than the divisive nature of those running for office, with extreme right candidate, Jair Bolsonaro, expected to walk away winning.

• Italian inbound and domestic M&A deal value remains stable
• PE buyouts see highest value since records began
• The consumer sector’s market share dropped 85.5% since 2017 from 50.2% to 8.8% in 2018

Krzysztof Urbański, Director of M&A at Orange spoke to Olivia Cummins about telecom transactions and deals ahead of this year's CEE M&A and Private Equity Forum.

It is my great pleasure to welcome you to this year’s CEE M&A and Private Equity Forum which will take place on October 3-4, 2018 at the InterContinental Hotel in Warsaw. The yearly Forum has deservedly become a seminal, must-attend event in our industry. Wolf Theiss is pleased to continue its sponsoring role for the 9th year and I am delighted to continue my chairmanship role for the 5th successive year.

• Game, home shopping companies look for global buys
• Cable consolidation to happen eventually; CJ Hello, Tbroad seen attractive targets
• Friendly policy, Pangyo’s 2nd complex positive for more deals
  

• Mexico´s one-team-per-investor policy to drive deal activity
• Fall of narco-soccer helps Colombian clubs attract investors
• Youth soccer academies flourish in Brazil

• Brexit denting inbound M&A, business investment
• PM May's consistent line on protecting key industries
• Powers akin to those bossed by US CFIUS regime

• Finnish M&A and ECM pipelines strong despite massive value dip in 1H18
• Danish high-end designer brands and technology players most attractive among cautious investors

• Valuation decrease a strong possibility
• Banking and retail particularly exposed to political risk
• Food and retail sectors to retain interesting margins

• Energy, consumer and retail among the most active sectors
• Valuation gap and worries over macroeconomics impact deal-making

Germany's protectionism targets Chinese deals.