Goldman Sachs has emerged as the top financial adviser for the consumer industry in the latest mergers and acquisitions (M&A) league table for Q2 2018, compiled by leading data analytics company GlobalData.

The American investment bank held an edge over other advisers, both in terms of value and volume, with $37.3bn and 19 deals respectively, for the quarter. In terms of value, Morgan Stanley closely followed with nine deals worth $35.6bn.

According to GlobalData, which uses its tracking of all merger and acquisition, private equity/venture capital and asset transaction activity globally to compile the league table, Evercore Partner finished third in the league table, with five deals carrying a total value of $18.8bn.

All the six firms that advised on the industry’s biggest high-value deal for the quarter – Conagra Brands acquisition of Pinnacle Foods for $10.9bn – made it into the top 10 list, with five of them capturing the first half of the table.

Prakhar Baghmar, Financial Deals Analyst at GlobalData, said: “Despite advising on all the three top deals of the industry in the quarter, Morgan Stanley couldn’t make it to the top, as Goldman Sachs grabbed a higher number of small ticket transactions alongside the top deals.”

In terms of volume, Goldman Sachs was followed by Rothschild & Co with 18 deals and Lazard with 11. They stood at 4^th and 10^th positions by value.

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Global Consumer deals market Q2 2018

The total global consumer deals market has experienced a quantum leap in value year-on-year, but only a marginal rise in volumes. Deal value shot up by a massive 151.33% to $122.4bn in Q2 2018 compared to $48.7bn in Q2 2017. Volumes jumped by a mere 2.81% from 676 to 695 between the quarters under review.

The top two players in the Consumer league table of financial advisers held the reverse ranking in the global league table of top 20 M&A financial advisers released by GlobalData recently.

Fried Frank is clear winner in the M&A legal advisers ranking list

US-based international law firm Fried Frank emerged as the leader in the list of the top 10 legal advisers for consumer industry deals in Q2 2018, with just four transactions worth $22.7bn. Sullivan & Cromwell followed with three deals worth $15.6bn.

Kirkland & Ellis and Jones Day secured the most number of deals, at 15 and 14 respectively, though they were positioned at 8^th and 4^th in terms of deal value.

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