Australia's top corporates tap the brakes on M&A amid Trump tariff uncertainty
Exclusive research suggests Australia's top companies are cooling on M&A despite a record breaking run for equity markets.
Sharemarkets might be at record highs, but the unpredictability of President Donald Trump’s second term is denting confidence inside Australia's biggest boardrooms as large companies freeze.
Exclusive data from East & Partners shows that around one in five (21.5%) of Australia's largest corporates is pausing M&A due to Trump related uncertainty, while fewer than one in ten are actively hunting acquisition targets.
East & Partners' new M&A Index, provided as part of an exclusive research partnership with Capital Brief, shows one in ten large corporates were discouraged to engage due to concerns over Trump-related volatility.
“M&A activity has been strong in the US, but here, it's been a pretty sluggish start to the year and that has been largely contingent on a number of mega deals getting over the line,” head of research Martin Smith said.
