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Business leaders had plenty of reasons to worry in the first half: Economic growth slowed, geopolitical tensions were on the rise and the trade war seemed unending.

But they looked past all that to strike big deals at a record pace.

A flurry of so-called megamergers — those valued at $10 billion or more — during the first half pushed the value of announced acquisitions in the United States above $1 trillion for the first time, according to data from Refinitiv. Worldwide, the value of deals stood at about $2 trillion.