Shortly after the champagne corks stopped popping, the M&A market started to take off, with a blast of new large deals announced globally.

The Financial Times reported on Monday that, during the first ten days of 2011, combined deal volume totaled $83 billion, up from $67 billion last year. Deal lawyers see this as an example of rising confidence among companies representing a wide array of industry sectors, as well as a reflection of a surplus of cash on the balance sheet.