The COVID-19 pandemic has had a dramatic global impact. Current
forecasts indicate that the global economy will contract during
2020 by more than the global financial crisis of
2008-09.1
Some sectors have been more severely impacted by COVID-19,
including:
- Sectors affected by consumer spending restraint or deferral,
including entertainment, restaurants, and traditional 'bricks
and mortar' stores.
- Sectors involving non-essential and deferrable discretionary
spend, including travel and hospitality.
- Sectors that are indirectly connected to those sectors,
including aerospace, and oil and gas.
In any recession, more mergers or acquisitions will involve
firms in financial difficulty. Claims will be made that a merger
will promote competition by ensuring the survival of firms.
