What a series like this gives you that a single study cannot is the shape of the cycle. Deal volumes, valuations and the kinds of transactions getting done move in waves, and knowing whether your sector is early or late in one is genuinely useful when deciding whether to buy now, sell now, or wait. The reports are free and the analysis is separated into buy-side and sell-side, which matters because the two sides of the market rarely peak together.
Read it for context rather than for instruction. Aggregate reporting describes large corporate transactions far more than the lower middle market where most private owners live, so treat the direction as informative and the magnitudes as belonging to a different weight class. BCG has also given sustained attention to divestitures, which is unusual and useful for a seller trying to understand how buyers think about carving something out.
Consultancy market reporting is produced by firms that also sell transaction advice, which is worth holding in mind on any question of whether conditions favor doing a deal. The Institute lists it alongside the Bain annual report for that reason: two houses, the same commercial interest, and a useful cross-check on each other.