The volume and value of cross-border transactions dropped during 2019, according to research from Deloitte .
The ‘big four’ accounting firm said the number of transactions fell 20 per cent in 2019 to 96, down from 120 deals made in 2018.
Meanwhile, the value of deals fell more than 60 per cent, down from £6.54bn to £2.29bn.
Deloitte said inbound investments were the “most prolific”, with 51 deals - worth a total of £1.01bn - completed in 2019, down from 77 deals - valued at £1.41bn - in 2018.
While outbound transactions volumes saw a slight rise on the previous year - from 43 to 45 - values dropped from £5.13bn to £1.28bn.
Olly Tebbutt, partner at Deloitte in the north west, said the drop in deal values and volumes was “unsurprising” given the “proximity of the Brexit deadline”.
“However, as the results of Deloitte’s latest CFO Survey shows, the result of the latest election has driven business confidence up to record levels,” he said.
“This is as much a factor for overseas investors as it is in the 海角视频, and we are confident that we will see a rise in activity as our position in Europe becomes clearer over the coming months.”
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Notable deals in the north west in 2019 include City Football Group’s acquisition of Mumbai City FC and listed metal technology manufacturer Bodycote’s £154m acquisition of US-based Ellison Surface Technologies.
Deloitte said European countries remained the most active investors, with four across Finland, Sweden, Belgium and the Netherlands. There were three across North America, and a further two across Asia.
The final quarter saw 10 overseas investors completed deals for north west companies for undisclosed sums, while 14 north west companies acquired overseas assets, worth a total of more than £250m, the firm said.