News Release
Outlook sluggish for upstream M&A
Upstream dealmakers start 2019 facing an uphill battle. Volatile oil prices and bearish equity markets impede deal flow by creating uncertainty, widening the bid-ask spread, altering financial conditions and making companies re-think near-term strategies. In Q4 2018, as these factors emerged, deal count dropped to its lowest level since Q1 2015, with December the slowest month since January 2015.