2016 M&A second only to 2015 thanks to Q3 deals

2015 was the all-time high for M&A with deals worth $103.8 billion.

So far this year, the total value of M&A deals is $55.3 billion.

In the first half of 2016, it appeared the enormous wave of semiconductor acquisitions in 2015 had subsided substantially, with the value of transactions announced between January and June being just $4.3 billion compared to $72.6 billion in the same six-month period in 1H15.

However, the three big Q3 deals ensure that 2016 will be second only to 2015 in terms of the total value of announced semiconductor M&A transactions.

A major difference between the huge wave of semiconductor acquisitions in 2015 and the nearly 20 deals being struck in 2016 is that a significant number of transactions this year are for parts of businesses, divisions, product lines, technologies, or certain assets of companies.

This year has seen a surge in the agreements in which semiconductor companies are divesting or filling out product lines and technologies for newly honed strategies in the second half of this decade