The coronavirus pandemic had a severe impact in the Portuguese and global economy, as predicted.
M&A market went
through various stages:
Transactions that were immediately canceled, others that were suspended and resumed several months later, and others that simply dragged on. All of this led to the deal volume in Portugal falling 21% between April 2020 and March 2021 ( One Year with Covid-19), comparatively to 2019, when deal volume increased 26% over 2018.
Notwithstanding the accentuated decline in deal volume, the aggregate value of M&A deals in Portugal rose 15% between April 2020 and March 2021, relative to full-year 2019, which speaks volumes on the Portuguese road to recovery.
in deal value
in deal volume
M&A Portugal | Impact on TOP Sectors
Despite a drop of 36% in deal value in One Year with Covid-19 over full-year 2019, the Energy Sector is, without a doubt, the sector with the best performance in the past years in M&A transactions. In the Technology Sector, the only sector in the top 4 of deal by value (€m) with an increase (+40%), reveals the dynamism of an increasingly digital economy, but also of the Portuguese startup ecosystem.
How ONE YEAR with COVID-19 impacted M&A value in the Four Most Active Sectors in Portugal (€m)
COVID-19 | TOP Emerging Sectors
Throughout the pandemic, opportunities arose, highlighting some sectors. The Agriculture, Agribusiness Farming and Fishing Sector witnessed an increase by 2.122% of deal aggregate value between April 2020 and March 2021 (One Year with Covid-19), relative to full-year 2019.
Agribusiness,
Farming and Fishing
Parapharmaceutical
and Cosmetics
Predicting M&A
Future Trends
The year 2021 has been marked by cautious optimism from investors. There are risks that are considered, not only due to possible setbacks in the management of the pandemic, but also due to changes in the macroeconomic framework. According to the latest TTR data, the 2021 Q3 trends reveal a decrease in the number of transactions and an increase by global deal value, by opposition to what we have been witnessing so far. Will this trend carry on throughout 2022?