“Merger friendly” Trump admin’s tariffs have M&A deals at a 20-year low

555

The Trump administration was expected to open the merger floodgates following years of heightened antitrust regulation. Instead, global dealmaking is at a low not seen since before “Boom Boom Pow” was atop the Billboard charts. According to Dealogic data reported by Reuters, just 555 M&A deals were signed in the US in April, the country’s lowest level since May 2009.

April’s “Liberation Day” tariffs saw worldwide M&A values drop 54% from March. The 2,330 global deals signed marks the fewest since February 2005.

Boeing signed one of the month’s largest deals with the $10.6 billion sale of its digital unit to a private equity firm.

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Nathan's Famous restaurant on Coney Island

Iconic hot dog brand Nathan’s Famous just sold for $450 million

Packaged meat company Smithfield Foods has agreed to acquire the historic Coney Island staple — best known for its annual hot dog eating contest — in an all-cash deal.

KFC ranked worst out of 76 restaurant chains per new market share analysis

The chicken wars are taking their toll, new Barclays analysis suggests, as competitors close in on the chain that once ruled the roost.

Nate Becker

1/22/26

Paramount is doing everything except the one thing that could give its Warner Bros. bid a chance of success

Warner Bros. says “more than 93%” of its shareholders have rejected Paramount. That’s probably not going to change substantially unless Paramount boosts its offer.

Streamers continued retreating from original shows in 2025

The death of “peak TV” has not been exaggerated, per a new report from Luminate.

Max Knoblauch1/21/26

Retail display of Takis snack food in various spicy flavors in Target store, Queens, New York

America’s love for spicy food and mouth-tingling sauces has surged, but are we approaching “peak heat”?

Takis doesn’t think so, as it searches for a “Chief Intensity Officer.”

Claire Yubin Oh1/21/26

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