Second quarter M&A were flat compared to first quarter’s levels, both in volume (with $552B transacted in Q2 against $555B in Q1) and in the number of deals (8,551 transactions, just 0.1% short of Q1). Nonetheless, the quarter saw a rise in transactions taking companies private, more than at any time in the last two years. The second quarter saw $67B transacted across 32 deals for this deal type, including 13 deals over $1B.