According to a report from Mergermarket, 2015 was a record year for global M&A with several regional records being broken, such as U.S. and Asia posting their highest values, and some of the largest deal announcements. The total value of M&A reached a record level in late-November 2015, after the announcement of the world’s third largest M&A transaction in history. Pfizer’s $183.7 acquisition billion of Allergan boosted total M&A values to $4.28 trillion in 2015, 16.6% higher than the previous 2007 peak and 29.9% above 2014

The U.S. drove global M&A during 2015, with 4,786 deals worth $1.97 trillion to-date accounting for 46.2% of global activity, the highest share since 2001, putting both Europe (25.7%) and Asia-Pac (ex Japan) (21.7%) in the shade. Q4/15 experienced a typical slow-down, with 1,075 deals worth $528.2 billion, down 14.9% compared to Q3’s record high (1,255 deals, $620.7 billion). Nevertheless, deal value ended the year up 40.6% compared to 2014, reaching a new peak previously seen in 2006 (4,657 deals, $1.42 trillion).

Pharma, Medical and Biotech was the most hotly targeted sector in 2015 with 530 deals worth $ 296.9 billion, representing a 28.7% increase by value compared to 2014’s deal value, with healthcare consolidation a key topic, such as Anthem’s $50.4 billion acquisition of Cigna, and Aetna’s $26.6 billion purchase of Humana. The U.S. tech sector also had a confident year attracting 777 deals worth $249.1 billion, a 91.9% increase compared to 2014, overtaking all annual deal values on record.