The FINANCIAL -- Merger and acquisition (M&A) activity in the first half of 2022 resets to pre-pandemic levels of approximately 25,000 deals. Lower valuations are expected to bring better opportunities for dealmakers to generate healthy returns, as evidenced by recent public-to-private transactions which increased by more than 50% in 2022 compared to the prior year period,The FINANCIAL -- Merger and acquisition (M&A) activity in the first half of 2022 resets to pre-pandemic levels of approximately 25,000 deals. Lower valuations are expected to bring better opportunities for dealmakers to generate healthy returns, as evidenced by recent public-to-private transactions which increased by more than 50% in 2022 compared to the prior year period, » The FINANCIAL Economic