What Brexit means for UK M&A: Experts expect further drop in activity June 24, 2016 Deal activity in the UK is expected to fall further in the second half of 2016 following the Brexit vote. Mergers and acquisitions (M&A) activity has already slowed this year following a record 2015. Data released yesterday from MergerMarket and Dealogic showed that UK-targeted activity slowed in the first half of the year, and more [...]
Analysts doubt London Stock Exchange merger will go through after Brexit vote June 24, 2016 Analysts have serious doubts over the London Stock Exchange’s merger with Deutsche Boerse after the UK voted for a Brexit. The companies themselves have said they remain “fully committed” to the £21bn deal, which shareholders are being asked to approve next month. LSE shareholders are due to vote on the merger on 4 July. But [...]
London Stock Exchange and Deutsche Boerse say Brexit means their merger is “ever more important” June 24, 2016 The London Stock Exchange and Deutsche Boerse have issued a joint statement saying Brexit makes their proposed merger “ever more important” and they remain “fully committed” to the deal. A “referendum committee” has been set up to consider the implications of the UK vote to leave the EU. Read more: Shareholder advisory groups back London [...]
UK M&A slows further in second quarter as dealmakers await referendum June 23, 2016 A slow start to the year for UK mergers and acquisitions (M&A) activity continued into the second quarter with the EU referendum looming, new data released today shows. Some $18.3bn (£12.4bn) worth of UK-targeted deals have been announced so far in the second quarter of 2016, down 53 per cent from $38.9bn in the first three [...]
General Electric has offloaded its French consumer-credit unit to private equity firm Cerberus June 23, 2016 US conglomerate General Electric has moved a step further away from financial services after finding a buyer for its French consumer-credit unit. Private equity firm Cerberus Capital Management has made a binding offer for the business. The sale would represent ending net investment of approximately $4.6bn (£3.1bn) as of the end of the first quarter of 2016. It excludes the platform’s $2bn prime [...]
Shareholder advisory groups back London Stock Exchange merger June 23, 2016 The London Stock Exchange (LSE) has been given a boost ahead of the referendum with three shareholder advisory groups endorsing its £21bn merger with Deutsche Boerse. Pensions & Investment Research Consultants (Pirc) has recommended that LSE shareholders approve the deal regardless of the result of the EU vote. And two more influential groups from the US, [...]
Magazine publisher imagines bright future with £14.2m takeover deal June 23, 2016 Magazine publisher Future has announced a £14.2m takeover deal for Imagine Publishing. The target company’s portfolio includes 19 magazines, including All About History, Digital Photographer and World of Animals, as well as websites and bookazines. Imagine is expected to report a revenue of £16.4m for the year to 31 March with earnings before interest, taxation [...]
Italian job: Law firm Fieldfisher agrees merger with Italy’s SASPI June 21, 2016 Fieldfisher has today agreed a merger with Italian law firm Studio Associato Servizi Professionali Integrati (SASPI). The merger, which will take the form of a Swiss verein style association, will take effect at the start of next month and SASPI will be adopting the Fieldfisher brand name. The two firms combined will have around 970 professionals and [...]
Private equity activity has picked up despite the looming EU referendum June 21, 2016 Private equity deal activity picked up in the second quarter of this year despite the upcoming EU referendum. In the first quarter of 2016 there were 42 deals tracked with a value of £2.9bn. In the second, there were 46 deals worth £3.1bn. UK private equity deal value was down by a third in the first [...]
Why it has been a mega quarter for mega deals June 21, 2016 The second quarter of 2016 has been a mega period for mega deals. The three-month period has so far included 10 $10bn-plus (£6.8bn-plus) deals completing, according to Willis Towers Watson’s Quarterly Deal Performance Monitor. There were half as many mega mergers and acquisitions (M&A) transactions completed in the same quarter in 2015. Each of the [...]