Benchmark International Logo Blog Mergers and Acquisitions

Archives

2021 M&A Outlook

The Beginning of the End

The turbulent year of 2020 is finally in our rearview mirror. While so many lives have been lost and everyday life is still far from normal, effective vaccines for COVID-19 are being distributed, offering hope for a near-term end to the disruption we’ve endured for the past year.

Markets have begun to respond with optimism for the highly anticipated return to normal, but we’re not at the finish line quite yet. Mass distribution of the vaccine will take time, and people and businesses are still suffering as the virus is spreading at record-high levels and restrictions are being reinforced. This means that, yes, our world remains suspended in a state of uncertainty, but we have good reason to believe that the global economy will continue to recover, and mergers and acquisitions will lead the recovery. Research indicates that 53 percent of US executives plan to increase M&A investment in 2021. Some sectors have fared rather well during the pandemic. But how well—and how quickly—the overall economy recovers will depend on factors such as virus containment, fiscal and monetary policy, and inflation.

Virus containment remains the main priority for economic recovery to succeed. However, there are other possible risks to market performance. A lack of adequate policy support could occur due to concerns about mounting government debt. The technology conflict between the US and China is likely to continue even under a more traditional Biden administration, and the impacts are expected to take years to manifest. The decisions made by the two countries will affect regional economies and the businesses that operate within them. Other geopolitical factors could also shift investor attention away from recovery, but they are considered rather unlikely at this time.

READ MORE >>

The ‘Urge to Merge’ is Alive and Kicking Globally – With a Trend towards Smaller Deals

In a much-talked-about piece in the New York Times recently, Hernan Cristerna, Co-Head of Global M&A at JP Morgan Chase, diagnosed the global mergers and acquisitions market as alive and very much kicking – in spite of ongoing Brexit anxieties and considerable political uncertainty around the Trump administration.

READ MORE >>

Europcar Looks to Boost Low-Cost Presence With Goldcar Deal

French rental car company, Europcar has made its fourth acquisition of the year in the form of Europe's largest low-cost car rental agency, Goldcar.

READ MORE >>

Competition Watchdog Clears Path for Asset Management Mega Merger

Britain's Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) has given the go-ahead for the £11 billion merger of Scotland-based asset management companies Standard Life and Aberdeen Asset Management.

READ MORE >>

Chemicals Sector Continues to Remain Buoyant

Following our report last month on the $130bn mega-merger between US chemical giants Dow Chemical and DuPont, a new deal has announced the creation of a chemicals giant with a market value of approx $14 billion.  This latest high-profile transaction across the diversified chemicals sector sees companies are striking ever more aggressive deals to find new ways to slash costs and gain greater scale of their segments, typifying the current market trend for companies to cut costs and boost revenue.

READ MORE >>

Exova to be bought by Element Materials in £620m deal

After several weeks of speculation, it has been announced that global lab testing specialist Exova has accepted an all-cash takeover from its industry rival Element Materials Technology Group.

READ MORE >>

Record 2016 for M&A against all odds

Despite major political disruption from events such as Britain leaving the EU and the election of a new president of the United States, 2016 is gearing up to be the biggest year for M&A deal announcements since 2007.

READ MORE >>

Louder!: PE invests in Ibiza

The night-time economy is a recognised driver of growth across Europe and the U.S. and global cities like New York and London play host to some of the world’s most popular DJs and artists after-hours, throughout the year. Further afield, the Spanish Island of Ibiza is one of the most popular seasonal destinations and over the decades has seen rapid expansion of the business arms of some of its most recognisable brands. It therefore comes as no surprise that the well-established Pacha is set to be sold for in excess of €350m to private equity outfit Trilantic Europe, with the Group’s owner, Ricardo Urgell, confirming earlier this week that a deal has almost been reached.

READ MORE >>
1

    Subscribe to Email Updates

    Recent Posts

    Follow Us on Twitter

    Archive

    see all