The Preventative Medicine of M&A: Diagnosing and Treating Deal Risks Early

• May 01, 2026

• Thomas N. Shorter , Husch Blackwell LLP
• Ragini Acharya , Husch Blackwell LLP
• Emilio Rojo , Husch Blackwell LLP

Mergers and acquisitions hold the promise of growth, transformation, and synergy—but not every announced deal makes it to closing. Over recent years, the global mergers and acquisitions (M&A) landscape has been shaped by macroeconomic volatility, higher costs of capital, increased regulatory scrutiny, and evolving geopolitical risk. In 2023, global M&A deal value fell to approximately $3.2 trillion, the lowest level in about a decade amid a selective and risk-aware market.[1] In the United States and Canada, total deal value declined to roughly $1.22 trillion in 2023, a 15.3% drop from 2022, and transaction counts fell nearly 24%.[2] These figures reflect not merely a cyclical slowdown, but a period marked by heightened execution risk and uneven momentum.

ARTICLE TAGS

• Business Law and Governance Practice Group
• Health Care Finance and Transactions