Defensive logic propels M&A revival
Companies that have weathered the crisis better than their competitors and are sitting on strong balance sheets are now taking advantage of acquisition opportunities
M&A
Resources
M&A sees revival as India finds ‘sweet spot’
The country’s top companies have pounced on the rebound in global stock markets to rebuild their balance sheets and are now in the hunt for cross-border deals
GrainCorp buys US malt maker for $655m
Australian grain groups expected to consolidate
Private equity still on M&A sidelines
PE sees 67% fall in first nine months
China sets tough terms on foreign M&A deals
Willingness to use new powers
Abbott in €4.5bn deal for Solvay drug unit
Consolidation in pharma continues
Related content and features
Interactive
Investment banking league table
See how the world’s leading investment banks have weathered the credit crunch, with global rankings of M&A activity by net revenue and deal value for the first half of 2009
Comment and Analysis
M&A bankers lose star quality
The bold strategists who engineered the deals that trasnformed the corporate landscape have been replaced by executors with little more than balance sheets
Better to wait out siege by bidders
The ’put up or shut up’ order is one of the best weapons available to a British company under siege, but knowing when to use it calls for skill and sound judgment
Investors are crucial to reducing flowback risk
Kraft’s £10.2bn unsolicited cash-and-shares approach for Cadbury has reawakened the debate about the problem of flowback in cross-border deals
Raised spirits
Deal-making: Glasses are clinking again in the City of London as bankers celebrate recent mergers and acquisitions – yet hopes of a possible upturn are mixed with caution
Survive company mergers
Business leaders will soon see opportunities for mergers and acquisitions even though getting valuation right is difficult, writes Stefan Stern
Mergers as kill or cure
Pharmaceutical industry veterans reveal what worked for them – and what didn’t
M&A turns to barter to finance deals
Businesses turned to bartering during the Great Depression of the 1930s, paying doctors with eggs or offering work in return for food. Now, some companies have turned back the clock and are swapping assets instead of shopping for them
Exxon’s M&A inaction puzzles analysts
With oil prices now on their way up again, analysts begin to wonder whether Exxon, the oil giant, has any intention of making material purchases
