This year is set to be a blockbuster for deals, exemplified by mega acquisitions such as T-Mobile USA or Genzyme, with turmoil in the Middle East and Japan causing just a temporary slowdown. Worldwide mergers and acquisitions (M&A) have risen 58 percent so far this year, according to preliminary data from Thomson Reuters, marking the best start to a year since 2007 and building on last year's tentative recovery. A doubling of deal volume in the United States and Europe, which was hobbled in 2010 by the sovereign debt crisis, as well as big deals such as AT&T Inc's (T.N) $39 billion bid for T-Mobile USA, helped push announced worldwide M&A to $717 billion so far this year.
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