Europe-targeted M&A through to the end of the third quarter has already surpassed 2013 values by 11.4 per cent, with deals totalling USD714.7 billion, according to Mergermarket.
A rise in valuable European targets coming to market so far this year has been one driver for corporates seeking assets – over 200 more targets were purchased compared to Q1-Q3 2013 (854 exits), resulting in 1,055 deals launching 39 per cent higher than 2013’s total value at USD281.3 billion.
The growing presence of US companies increased total deal value and also boosted inbound M&A to an all time high. The value of inbound M&A up to the end of Q3 stood at USD287.2bn, 23.2 per cent higher than the previous peak in 2008.
The restored faith in European companies uplifted the average deal size to USD427m, even higher than 2007’s annual average (USD388.9m).
Outbound deals valued at USD257.3bn up to the end of Q3 reached the second highest annual value on record after 2007. The value was partly driven by uber active German companies producing USD67.5bn-worth of outbound M&A, a record high for the country.
