Mergers and acquisitions up 30%

The number of merger and acquisition deals involving Irish companies increased by 30% to 38 in the first quarter of 2006 compared to the same period a year earlier, the latest M&A tracker survey from corporate finance specialists Ion Equity reveals.

The value of deals in the first quarter, however, fell by 70% to €1.16bn from almost €4bn in the first quarter of 2005.