After a blockbuster year for M&A in 2021, things slowed in 2022, reflecting the more challenging environment as dealmakers navigated inflation, interest rates, geopolitical tensions and increased regulatory oversight. Deal value fell 36% year on year to US$3.8 trillion. Yet, volumes dropped by only 12% to 27,019, suggesting resilience and commitment among dealmakers, says Bain & Co in its Global M&A Report 2023 released on Jan 31. In Asia-Pacific, deal value was down 22% in 2022.

Mergers and acquisitions: The year that was and the year ahead

People tend to splurge during the festive season and Ramadan is no exception. As Malaysians are among the biggest social media users in the world, the consumption of digital content and number of e-commerce purchases tend to increase during these seasons.

Building social media connections during Ramadan

In the previous two infographics, ESG collaborated with consulting firm Thoughts in Gear to highlight the first two steps of a company’s sustainability journey: knowing one’s baselines and planning one’s strategies. The third instalment of the series will focus on how companies can implement their strategies.

How to implement sustainability strategies

As consumer demand softens, chipmakers are rebuilding their inventories from historic lows. This has effectively ended the short-term chip shortage in the consumer, computer and communication segments. Consequently, global semiconductor revenue growth is expected to decline in 2023.

Semiconductor  shortage, oversupply and excess inventory all at once

The e-commerce boom is far from over. The Covid-19 pandemic has reshaped consumers’ behaviour and fast-tracked the transition to online shopping. In just a two-year period, consumers’ preferences have evolved from bricks-and-mortar shopping to an ecosystem that involves multiple online platforms and store concepts. Retailers are moving towards multi-channel strategies to capture the market and reinventing themselves to keep up with the trends.

Asians spend a lot of time shopping online

Malaysia was likely the best performer in Asean in 2022, HSBC Global Research says, forecasting that the local economy grew 8.4% as it benefited from pent-up demand and strong exports, thanks to a diversified mix of commodity and electronics shipments.