Oil field service companies announce breakdown of $28bn merger following intervention from US authorities May 2, 2016 Halliburton and Baker Hughes have called off their $28bn (£19.2bn) merger, which would have represented the largest oil field services acquisition ever. The deal abandonment comes after the US Department of Justice (DOJ) last month filed a lawsuit to stop the merger. The DOJ said Halliburton's acquisition of its smaller rival would hamper competition, raise [...]
Deutsche Boerse forced to retract and clarify executive statements on London Stock Exchange merger, Intercontinental Exchange and Brexit April 30, 2016 Deutsche Boerse has been forced to clarify and retract comments made by executives in relation to its proposed merger with the London Stock Exchange (LSE). The German exchange has taken action after the Takeover Panel took issue with statements on the Intercontinental Exchange (ICE), Brexit and the benefits of the LSE merger. The LSE also [...]
Spin-off deals appetite remains strong across Europe despite general M&A slowdown and looming EU referendum April 29, 2016 The looming EU referendum is not expected to slow spin-off mergers and acquisitions (M&A) activity in Europe. Following a record 2015 for M&A as a whole, with more than $5 trillion of deals announced, there has been a slowdown in global activity so far this year. But Aurelius Group, which surveyed 200 respondents from its network [...]
Pharma consolidation continues with two new massive deals April 28, 2016 The latest round of consolidation in the pharmaceutical industry has seen a combined £24bn worth of potential deals. French phara giant Sanofi yesterday made a play for cancer therapy drug specialist Medivation with an unsolicited bid worth $9.3bn (£6.4bn). Sanofi has sent a letter to the head of Medivation offering to buy the company after Medivation [...]
Comcast’s NBCUniversal agrees $3.8bn deal for Shrek maker Dreamworks April 28, 2016 NBCUniversal, a division of Comcast, has announced a $3.8bn (£2.6bn) deal to acquire Dreamworks Animation. Shareholders of Dreamworks Animation, the maker of Shrek and Kung Fu Panda, will receive $41 in cash for each share under the deal. On Thursday morning in the US, after the announcement, the share price of Dreamworks was up 24 per cent to [...]
Majority of UK dealmakers say Brexit would be bad for business and study finds EU referendum uncertainty is already taking its toll on M&A April 28, 2016 The majority of UK dealmakers believe a so-called Brexit would have a negative impact of mergers and acquisitions (M&A) activity at home and in Europe. A new survey also suggested uncertainty around the referendum is having a negative impact on early-stage M&A activity in the UK, with growth slowing in the first quarter. Read more: Dealmakers [...]
As government talks up Channel 4 privatisation, analysts name Netflix, Viacom, BT and Discovery as potential suitors April 27, 2016 Netflix, Viacom, BT and Discovery have all been tipped as potential suitors for Channel 4 by media analysts. The government is currently considering selling off the channel, which is privately funded but publicly owned. And culture secretary John Whittingdale yesterday talked up the prospect of privatisation, saying it could leave the channel "better off". Read more: Why Channel 4's [...]
EU referendum: German finance industry believes Frankfurt would be “major winner” of Brexit April 27, 2016 The German finance industry believes Frankfurt would emerge as a "major winner" if the UK votes for a so-called Brexit. A survey of 400 businesses in the sector also found support for the London Stock Exchange-Deutsche Boerse merger. But there are concerns about the headquarters of the holding company created by the merger being based in London [...]
Shrek maker Dreamworks sees share price soar after news Comcast is considering $3bn takeover bid April 27, 2016 Shares in Dreamworks were up by more than 15 per cent on Wednesday after it emerged Comcast is considering a takeover of the company. Shares in Comcast, the creator of the Despicable Me and Minions films, were also up slightly following the news. Read more: Comcast pours cold water on ITV takeover talks Comcast is in talks to [...]
London Stock Exchange clarifies Xavier Rolet’s language after talks with the Takeover Panel ahead of merger with Deutsche Boerse AG and confirms it hasn’t held talks about ICE’s strategy April 26, 2016 The London Stock Exchange (LSE) has clarified arguments made by its chief executive in recent interviews, following discussions with the Takeover Panel. Yesterday evening the LSE released a statement to clarify Xavier Rolet's comments in the press about the Intercontinental Exchange (ICE), which could still gatecrash the merger with Deutsche Boerse AG. One clarification related to [...]