Companies announced a record $1.42 trillion of mergers and acquisitions this year, surpassing the pace of 2000, as rising profits give executives more money to pay for takeovers.

Companies worldwide announced 24 purchases of more than $10 billion this year, compared with 16 in the same period of 2000, the year America Online Inc. agreed to buy Time Warner Inc. for $186 billion in the biggest ever takeover.

Total takeovers so far this year compare to the $1.41 trillion of deals announced in the same period of 2000. For all of that year, acquisitions amounted to $2.94 trillion. In 2005, a total of $2.64 trillion of deals were struck.

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