TABLE-BTG Pactual, Itaú top Brazil's first-half M&A rankings

(Click on for a story on Thomson Reuters' first-half M&A rankings for Brazil in terms of deal value and number of deals) SAO PAULO, July 1 (Reuters) - Bankers dismayed by the small number of merger-and-acquisition closings in Brazil this year expect a turnaround in the second half, citing a weak local currency, cheaper assets and cash-flush buyout firms. Dozens of deals stalled in the first six months of the year because of mounting economic and political turmoil. Still, advisory work