The biggest market risk in 2026 is the one no one talks about

Deal activity is heating up as 2025 nears a close amid lower interest rates from the Fed and a sense from sellers that valuations are about as full as one could expect. Yahoo Finance executive editor Brian Sozzi sits down on the Opening Bid Unfiltered podcast with Apollo Global Management co-head of equity David Sambur. After being held by Liberation Day market related volatility, the environment for deal-making has picked up. This year is on track to become the second highest in deal activity, up 36% in value to an estimated $4.8 trillion according to Bain & Company. Megadeals greater than $5 billion have represented more than 75% of incremental deal value. Meanwhile, exit activity for private equity companies accelerated meaningfully in the third quarter. Private equity firms have announced exits totaling $470 billion so far this year per data from EY, marking a 40% increase by value compared with the same period last year. Sambur shares his outlook for M&A and exits in 2026, the drivers of that potential activity and what he has learned from making big deals over the course of his career. Disclosure: Yahoo is a portfolio company of funds managed by affiliates of Apollo Global Management.

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