The past week in deal announcements was fairly typical for 2023, with four deals over the $1 billion mark, though none reported over $2 billion. Freshfields Bruckhaus & Derringer brokered a $935 million IPO on the Frankfort Stock Exchange, but there were no SPACs and no SPAC mergers. Debt offerings were lighter this past week than in previous weeks, with five over the $500 million threshold.

While not the only factor affecting deals lately, the high yield on bonds, coupled with high interest rates, has made deal-making harder, industry experts say