Christmas came early for the country’s investment bankers on Monday after more than $5 billion in deals were struck in one morning, setting up a blockbuster close to what has otherwise been a lacklustre year for transaction activity.

Three buyouts will sweep from public markets Link Group, Pacific Smiles and Adbri, the former Adelaide Brighton one of the oldest companies on the ASX; it traces its origins to 1882 and listed in 1962. If the deal goes through, the building materials group will be acquired by its major shareholder, Barro Group, and Ireland’s CRH in a $2.1 billion takeover.