Private Equity Accounts for 40% of US M&A Deals, Feds Say (1)

Two out of every five major US mergers and acquisitions in 2022 involved private equity investors, a percentage that has steadily grown over the past two decades.

At least 40% of deals reported to the federal government for antitrust review that year involved a fund or limited partnership, according to the Federal Trade Commission and the Justice Department. That’s a marked increase from 2001, when private investors were only involved in about 10% of deals, the agencies said.

The explosion of M&A involving private investors helps explain the antitrust agencies’ recent focus on private equity, which has drawn criticism ...