Nippon Steel ( OTCPK:NISTF) also agreed to buy US Steel ( X) for $14 billion on Monday. The Karuna acquisition came just weeks after Abbvie ( ABBV) agreed to buy Cerevel Therapeutics ( CERE) for $8.7 billion and Abbvie ( ABBV) agreed to plunk down $10.1 billion for drugmaker ImmunoGen ( IMGN). The end of 2023 has seen several large deals, even on Friday with Bristol Myers Squibb's ( NYSE: BMY) planned $14 billion purchase of Karuna Therapeutics ( NASDAQ: KRTX). 'With the recent strength in markets and reduced volatility, people are feeling more comfortable.' 'Clients are more actively calling, and people are picking up pencils on processes that are ready to kick off,' Michele Cousins, head of leveraged capital markets for the Americas at UBS, said at a UBS press briefing earlier this month. Merger & acquisition activity is expected to increase next year as borrowing is expected to be easier and companies are undeterred by antitrust regulators' attempts to block deals. Zhanna Hapanovich/iStock via Getty Images

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