EghtesadOnline: With pent-up demand from 2016 and the challenges of an unpredictable US administration ahead, companies seeking to get deals done kicked off this year with a bang.

EghtesadOnline: The value of announced mergers and acquisitions (M&A) worldwide fell 27 percent year-on-year to $753 billion in the third quarter of 2016, as apprehension among corporate executives about overpaying prevented a repeat of last year's deal-making frenzy.