Corporate deals pick up speed, but remain small

By The Associated Press

The number of corporate deals is increasing in the U.S., but only in number. The size of the deals hasn't been nearly as impressive. The number of deals announced grew to 5,900 this year through June, up from 5,100 in the first half of 2011. But the average value of those deals was just $68 million, down from $102 million a year ago.

Here are the top three deals announced so far in the first half of this year involving a U.S. company:

- Switzerland-based Nestle plans to buy Pfizer's infant nutrition business. Deal valued at $11.9 billion.

- Apollo Global Management and other investors bought EP Energy, the exploration and production business of El Paso Corp. Deal valued at $7.2 billion.

- Energy Transfer Partners, a natural-gas pipeline company, plans to buy Sunoco. Deal valued at $7 billion.

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Source: mergermarket.

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