Companies set monthly record for mergers, acquisitions

U.S. companies are cutting merger deals at a record pace even though antitrust regulators have moved to oppose several recent high-profile combinations.

Financial information provider Dealogic says that so far this month, companies have agreed to mergers and acquisitions valued at $249 billion. That surpasses the previous record of $240 billion in July 2015.

Last week alone, the merger mania racked up $177 billion, a new mark for a single week.

It is not clear why so many deals are happening now, or how many of the proposed marriages will be completed. While allowing some big mergers, the Obama administration has cited potential harm to consumers in opposing other high-profile deals that then collapsed.