The number involving the US rose 27% from 153 to 194, while the number involving the UK in second place fell 6% from 47 to 44.
The Netherlands was the highest climber, with Germany, Switzerland and Canada also rising up the rankings.
Australia and Ireland entered the top 10, with the number of deals involving Australia trebling to 15.
Japan slipped down the table, with China and Mexico falling out of the top 10. The number of transactions affecting China fell from 17 to 7 and Mexico from 12 to 5 despite Mexico’s involvement in the biggest deal of the year.
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