Mergers and acquisitions (M&A) activity in Europe, the Middle East and Africa (EMEA) hit an 11-year high in January, boosted by several huge deals, Thomson Reuters data on Tuesday showed.
EMEA M&A totalled $90.8 billion during the first month of 2017, the highest January total since 2006 after years of lagging record growth in the U.S. market, boosted by Johnson & Johnson's $29.3 billion takeover of Swiss biotech company Actelion and the $25 billion acquisition of Italian eyewear group Luxottica by France's Essilor .
The figures propelled worldwide M&A to $258.2 billion, up 38% from January last year, and the highest total for that month since 2011.
M&A activity in the Americas totalled $109.8 billion during January, up 7% from a year earlier, with Asia M&A totalling $57.6 billion, a decline of 12% from January 2016.
Cross-border M&A is also at its highest level since 2006, with $106.8 billion worth of deals announced in January, up 31% from the same period last year. (Reuters)
Source: www.businessworld.ie
