Feature of the Month: A Record Year of Global Merger and Acquisitions
Global merger and acquisitions (M&A) value has reached the highest level this year since the 2008 financial crisis, powered by a 48% increase in the number of deals over $5 billion. While the M&A activities in Europe and Asia Pacific have increased significantly, Ukraine and Russia are struggling to attract international investors.
Political stability and currency rates are the major factors driving the global M&As this year. M&A activity has increased in Mexico because it has implemented structural reforms in tax, labor, and energy. In Japan, M&A deals have increased in mid-sized technology and start-up companies, thanks to the recent amendments to the Companies Act of Japan. Moreover, deals picked up in Brazil as it settled down after presidential election and the real exchange rate became more stable. Germany, proved to be Europe’s most stable economy during the Eurozone crisis, has seen buying activities increase in the energy industry by U.S. investors.
In Ukraine and Russia, investors are seeking to extricate themselves from the countries because of the devaluation of the currency and the increasing political conflicts. Despite these two countries, most of the countries have seen increases in both inbound and outbound M&A activities, as the world is recovering from the financial crisis and investors re-find confidence.
Featured Resources
UNCTAD: FDI Statistics by Country
Quick electronic access to comprehensive statistics on foreign direct investment (FDI) flows and stocks, mergers and acquisitions, and the operations of transnational corporations (TNCs). Currently, FDI country fact sheets for nearly 200 economies are available, as well as a link to the full World Investment Report.
Categories: Global , Statistical Data Sources
World Bank: Global Development Finance
Global Development Finance tracks the annual movement of international capital flows to developing countries and discusses selected analytical and policy issues in international finance for developing countries. The complete report is available online and includes over 200 time series indicators from 1970 to 2013. Available in PDF and Excel formats.
Categories: Global , Publications
Featured Academy
Global Market Opportunity Assessment
The Global Market Opportunity Assessment module informs one on the following issues: why it is important to assess global market opportunities; how companies conduct market opportunity assessment; what makes market research effective; practical approaches to identifying foreign market opportunities. A sample global market opportunity assessment questionnaire and a case study on Thailand’s growing importance in the global export market are also included in the module.
Internationalization Process of the Firm
The Internationalization Process of the Firm informs on the following issues: the internationalization process of companies that want to conduct international business; the different frameworks and theories regarding how companies handle the internationalization process; the role of company size on a company’s ability to efficiently achieve its internationalization goals; the factors that dictate the choice of a particular foreign market entry mode; and why gradual entry used to be the method of choice, but is becoming obsolete.
globalEDGE Business Beat
Sunil Mithas
Tomas Hult speaks with Sunil Mithas, Professor of Operations and Information Technologies, at the Robert Smith School of Business at the University of Maryland, and a native of India.
V. Kumar
Tomas Hult speaks with V. Kumar, Professor and Executive Director, Center for Excellence in Brand and Customer Management, at the Georgia State University, and a native of India.