Featured Insight
From cross-sector momentum to sponsor exits and AI transformation, explore how 2026 is ramping up to be an active year in CEO Marc Cooper’s outlook.
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Deep-dive analysis of M&A trends and opportunities across key industry sectors.
Dealmaking Activity Outlook Robust tailwinds are anticipated to drive an acceleration in M&A activity through late 2025 and into 2026. However, persistent tariff-related headwinds may present economic challenges, exerting pressure on consumer confidence and corporate balance sheets. Explore the latest market trends and dynamics impacting dealmaking. Market Activity & Sector Trends U.S. M&A volumes have…
Sponsors in 2026 are navigating persistent uncertainty and a shifting macroeconomic environment. Although dealmaking began to recover in 2025, sponsors contend with sticky inflation, uneven labor markets, and elevated geopolitical risk. Solomon Partners’ Financial Sponsors Trend Report explores the macroeconomic, capital markets, and sector-specific forces shaping private equity activity today, while offering a forward-looking perspective…
By Marc Cooper Entering 2025, the M&A market embraced post-election optimism that pro-business policies, lighter regulation and lower taxes would finally unlock a long-awaited dealmaking rebound. It looked as if the dam might finally break. Then reality intervened. An array of potential US tariffs introduced a familiar financial-market foe: uncertainty. It wasn’t the existence of…
Subscribe Episode Description This cross‑industry roundtable from Solomon Partners examines how the M&A landscape evolved in 2025 and the factors expected to shape deal activity in 2026 across healthcare, technology, and financial services. Industry coverage bankers Jon Pritti , James Butcher , and Alex DeOteris join M&A Director Chris Moynihan to discuss key macro and…
A Stabilizing Landscape Sets the Stage for 2026 As we begin a new year, the consumer and retail sector is on materially stronger footing than it was last spring. While tariff uncertainty and signs of weakening US consumer health remain pressure points, the overall operating environment is more stable. Against this backdrop, we expect meaningful…
Action Defined the Consumer Healthtech Sector in 2025 From growth in scaled M&A and venture funding to the reopening of US IPO markets, 2025 marked a decisive shift for Consumer Healthtech. Read Managing Director Eric Bormel ’s 2025 Market Report and 2026 Outlook for more insights and trends shaping the sector. DOWNLOAD REPORT Report Contents…
2026 Kicks Off With Upward Momentum Across Aerospace and Aviation, Defense and Space, and the Broader Mission-Critical Industrials Markets Access our in-depth Q4 2025 report from our Industrials team, which provides an analysis of the Aerospace & Defense and Mission-Critical Industrials sectors, including: M&A market outlook Key themes across core sectors Deal activity highlights
Where Retail Media Meets Reality Explore how retail media, out of home (OOH), and on-premise networks are converging to reshape the value of physical retail in Head of Media & Entertainment Mark Boidman ‘s presentation. Discover market trends, growth projections, and case studies from leading brands. DOWNLOAD PRESENTATION The Store as a Media Asset Physical…
Private equity is primed for a resurgence in 2026. We’ve seen heightened pressure to divest aging portfolio assets, driven by limited partner demands for return of capital and increasingly favorable exit conditions.”
The third quarter [of 2025] was stronger than people anticipated, but the fourth quarter has just been gangbusters, just really very strong. Going into 2026, people are very optimistic. 2026 is going to be even better.”
Some really large players in the dental space have been owned by private equity funds for a long time, and they’re going to look for some exit options or some liquidity options. Those will be groundbreaking for the sector in terms of new people coming into the space from an investment perspective.”
We anticipate a bifurcation of performance among issuers in the US middle market in 2026. That dynamic will result in an opportunity set comprised of complicated top-of-the-stack senior financings, as well as an increase in liability management transactions. Our team is well positioned to add value if this development comes to fruition.”
The M&A outlook for Software, Data and Analytics in 2026 remains positive. Corporates and financial sponsors are doubling down on AI-enabled capabilities, real-time decisioning and proprietary data as foundational strategic assets. Despite a complex macro backdrop, we are seeing increasingly constructive buyer behavior, active mergers & acquisitions engagement, and a supportive valuation environment for scalable, differentiated platforms.”
2026 is set to be a strong year for Financial Institutions M&A, with robust activity in distribution businesses—wealth management, RIAs, insurance agencies, and brokers—driven by private equity and strategics. Non-correlated assets and specialty finance remain attractive, and if rates decline further, balance-sheet businesses like lenders, and mortgage originators should see meaningful momentum.”
Healthcare M&A is set to see an acceleration of activity across most subsectors, including healthcare technology, medical devices and parts of healthcare services and life sciences. There is a significant backlog of deals waiting to come out, which will be supported by narrowing valuation gaps, renewed investor confidence, and continued pressure on private equity to return capital.”
With momentum building over the past two years, we expect private equity exits to increase again next year. As rate cuts take hold, tariff policy clarifies, and valuation gaps narrow, nearly $1 trillion in dry powder and a backlog of older assets should drive increased activity year over year.”
2026 M&A activity started off strong across aerospace and aviation, defense and space, and the broader mission-critical industrials markets. These sectors were buoyed in 2025 by strong demand, steady government and commercial spending, and investor interest in high spec suppliers.”