Only one in three M&A experts surveyed noticed a decrease of more than 20% in the number of deals in 2020. Furthermore, the average acquisition price across all deal categories remained more or less stable. Smaller transactions of less than €5 million did take a hit: there were fewer deals, and acquisition prices were lower. Moreover, the uncertain economic situation led to deals taking longer to conclude, and there was an increase in the use of deferred payment mechanisms. For 2021, the experts predict that the market will recover to its pre-coronavirus level, especially when it comes to private equity transactions. Those are the most important conclusions of the eight edition of the M&A Monitor.