The Globe and Mail reports in its Thursday edition that deal-making all but dried up in Canada during the first three months of 2024, despite hot stock markets and a rebound in mergers and acquisitions globally. The Globe's Jameson Berkow writes that M&A involving Canadian businesses amounted to $28.1-billion (U.S.) during the first quarter, according to data from financial data service Refinitiv. It marks a 23-per-cent decline from the same period in 2023 and nearly 55 per cent below the 10-year first-quarter average of $62.1-billion (U.S.). Stock sales amounted to nearly $5-billion in the first quarter. That is less than half the 10-year average of $10.1-billion, but a rebound from the extremely low level of $1.9-billion in the first quarter last year. There was a glimmer of optimism in the debt market, however, as businesses raised $21.4-billion through deals during the first quarter -- a 35-per-cent increase from the start of 2023, and more than 28 per cent above the 10-year first-quarter average. Nitin Babbar, global co-head of equity capital markets at Royal Bank of Canada, said, "People are more relaxed about some of the inflation numbers, and, for that reason, equities have been extremely well bid."