Anti-trust regulation, populism and a backlash against globalisation may be affecting appetites for dealmaking (The World in 2017). Question will be suspended on 30 June 2017 and resolved based on open source reporting of Thomson Reuters' M&A deal value data for the second quarter of 2017. Announced global M&A deals reached a value of $839 billion in the second quarter of 2016, down 32.5 percent from the same period in 2015 (Reuters). _{Confused? Check our FAQ or ask us for help.}

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_{If you liked this question, you might also enjoy forecasting on the end of day closing value for the British pound against the euro on 31 March 2017 or on the European Central Bank's January decision with respect to the deposit rate.} According to Reuters, the value of announced global mergers and acquisitions (M&A) deals during the second quarter of 2017 continued to decrease to $771 billion, and does not exceed Q2 2016. This question was closed as "b) no" with an end date of 30 June 2017. See our FAQ to learn about how we resolve questions and how scores are calculated.

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