July 4, 2018

Corporate Merger Activity in 2018 Is Almost Record-Setting

The New York Times has tallied all the corporate merger activity through the first half of the year and compared it to first-half activity over the past two decades:

We’ve set a new record, surpassing even the insane bubble year of 2007. Or have we?

As always, these comparisons over time need to be adjusted for inflation. M&A activity is certainly looking frothy, but it’s not record-setting. Not yet, anyway. But if it continues to rise at the current rate, it will be next year.

Big corporations are earning record profits and have just gotten a huge tax cut. Unfortunately, they still seem to be spending their money mostly on stock buybacks and defensive mergers. This is not what we’d see if they were truly bullish on long-term growth prospects.

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With only days left until December 31, we've raised about half of our $400,000 goal—but we need a huge surge in reader support to close the remaining gap. Whether you've given before or this is your first time, your contribution right now matters.

Managing an independent, nonprofit newsroom is staggeringly hard. There’s no cushion in our budget—no backup revenue, no corporate safety net. We can’t afford to fall short, and we can’t rely on corporations or deep-pocketed interests to fund the fierce, investigative journalism Mother Jones exists to do. That’s why we need you right now. Please chip in to help close the gap.

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