Rallying oil prices have been driving increased mergers and acquisitions activity in the global upstream sector in recent quarters and are set to incentivize more deals in 2022. Deal-making and high-value deals in the sector returned in 2021 as commodity prices rebounded, international majors moved to divest non-core assets, and U.S. shale producers consolidated and built quality inventories of assets. If oil prices – currently at their highest since the autumn of 2014 – remain high, M&A activity has a good chance of booking...