Millennial merger mania may be making a comeback.
Helped by Facebook’s two big acquisitions, the dollar volume of technology deals worldwide is up 90 percent, to $65.2 billion, so far this year from the same period a year ago, according to Thomson Reuters data. It is the highest level of merger activity in the period to date since the dot-com year of 2000.
Of the 10 biggest technology deals of the year, all involve acquisitions of American companies. The biggest so far is Facebook’s $16 billion purchase of WhatsApp acquisition â€" or $19 billion when restricted stock units that will vest over the next four years are included. That acquisition it is the fifth-largest technology deal of all time, according to Thomson Reuters.
Facebook’s $2 billion agreement on Tuesday to buy Oculus VR, the maker of a virtual reality headset, is the sixth-biggest deal to be announced this year.
