The number of asset management M&A deals was up 6.2% globally in 2006...

The number of asset management M&A deals was up 6.2% globally in 2006 to 171 transactions, compared with 161 in 2005 and 150 in 2004, according to a report by Freeman & Co., an investment banker specializing in financial services. Deals involving alternative asset managers were up 44.7% last year to a record high of 55, up from 38 in 2005 and 25 in 2004. Also, Freeman reported 24 deals involved assets of more than $10 billion, a 71.4% increase from 2005, when 14 such megadeals took place. U.S. buyers outpaced the rest of the world by a huge margin in terms of the amount of assets acquired: U.S. acquirers picked up $1.8 trillion in new assets, while European buyers gained $249 billion acquired and Canadian buyers, $188 billion.