Value of deals plummet in 2008. - According to initial data provided by Thomson Reuters, the value of deals processed by merchant banks fell by 32% in 2008. There was even a fall in activity of 44% in the fourth quarter. 2008 was also characterised by a high number of aborted operations, the most significant of which involved Microsoft-Yahoo, BHP Billiton-Rio Tinto and Samsung Electronics-Skandisk. No fewer than 1,100 deals were cancelled in this way. The financial crisis provoked upset in...