EU restarts anti-competition investigation into the Dow Chemical-DuPont merger October 3, 2016 EU competition regulators restarted their investigation into the $130bn (£101bn) merger of US chemicals giant Dow Chemical and DuPoint after the companies provided key data. The EU Commission added it will now decide whether to approval the mega-deal by 6 February, however this deadline could be pushed back again. Commission spokesman, Ricardo Cardoso, confirmed in an email to Reuters that the [...]
Janus Capital is merging with Henderson Global Investors to create a $320bn giant October 3, 2016 Shares in Henderson Global Investors shot up more than 18 per cent to 274p in early trading after it unveiled plans to merge with Janus Capital, the asset manager bond king Bill Gross famously ditched Pimco for. In a statement today Janus said it was merging with Henderson Global Investors to create a giant asset manager with [...]
Why would anyone choose a career in private equity anymore? October 2, 2016 Fear of risk is changing private equity for the worse, MVision chief executive Mounir Guen tells Billy Bambrough "Why would a brilliant young person go into private equity anymore?” asks private equity veteran and boss of industry advisory firm MVision, Mounir Guen, known almost exclusively by the nickname Moose. “Why not become a tech entrepreneur and [...]
Private equity giants eye bid for part of Priory hospitals empire October 2, 2016 Private equity giants, including former Phones4U owner BC Partners, are finalising bids for 19 hospitals being offloaded by US healthcare giant Acadia. The deal could raise as much as £300m for Acadia Healthcare, which bought the Priory hospital for £1.5bn in January. Acadia’s purchase of Priory – best known for treating celebrities including super model [...]
Euronext weighs bid for LSE Paris business LCH SA October 2, 2016 Euronext – the owner of the main Paris, Dutch, Portuguese and Belgian stock exchanges – is mulling a bid for the London Stock Exchange’s (LSE) Paris-based clearing house. It’s thought the LSE’s Paris business, called LCH SA, could be worth up to €500m (£386m). The London Stock Exchange wants to offload the business to ease [...]
The EU Commission has opened an in-depth probe into the massive London Stock Exchange – Deutsche Borse merger September 28, 2016 The European Commission has opened an in-depth investigation in to whether the planned £21bn merger between Deutsche Borse AG (DB) and London Stock Exchange Group (LSE) would reduce competition in financial markets. The proposed merger would combine the exchanges of Germany, the UK and Italy, as well as several of the largest European clearing houses, and create by [...]
Lufthansa board approves plans to take over Brussels Airlines September 28, 2016 German airline Lufthansa said today that its supervisory board has approved plans to buy the remaining chunk of Brussels Airlines that it didn't already own. The carrier bought 45 per cent of Brussels Airlines owner SN Airholding in 2009 for €65m (£56m), with the option of buying the other 55 per cent from 2011 onwards. Lufthansa [...]
Ab InBev shareholders approve Megabrew deal with SABMiller September 28, 2016 Ab InBev shareholders have given their backing to the proposed Megabrew deal with SABMiller. Investors in Anheuser-Busch InBev voted on the £79bn takeover of its rival at a meeting in Brussels this morning. "We are pleased that our shareholders' vote brings us one step closer to combining our companies, teams, strong heritage and passion for brewing," said [...]
UK Mail delivers substantial returns to shareholders as it agrees terms for £243m takeover by Deutsche Post September 28, 2016 Shares in private postal company UK Mail leapt over 40 per cent this morning after its board announced it had a agreed terms for a takeover by Deutsche Post. The deal values the FTSE-listed company at £243m and the cash offer of 440p a share represented a 43 per cent premium to yesterday's closing price. Read more: [...]
M&A slowdown crosses the Atlantic ahead of US Presidential Election September 27, 2016 Corporate dealmaking across the pond is slowing ahead of the US Presidential Election, fresh research has shown. The number of mergers and acquisitions (M&A) taking place in North America has dropped 15 per cent so far this year, according to advisers Willis Towers Watson, while Europe is on course to set a post-crisis high in [...]