By Robbie McLaren and Catherine Campbell Current Trends The M&A market is constantly evolving — from the predominantly seller’s market of H2 2019, through the tumultuous times of H1 2020, to the strong rebound of H2 2020 and to the highly competitive seller’s market of H1 2021 — deal dynamics are shifting. Deal terms vary by transaction … Continue Reading
By Robbie McLaren and Catherine Campbell Current Trends The M&A market is constantly evolving — from the predominantly seller’s market of H2 2019, to the tumultuous times of H1 2020, dynamics are shifting. Deal terms vary by transaction size, industry sector, and jurisdiction. Having a thorough knowledge of market trends is critical to negotiating and … Continue Reading
The guidance includes a refresher on “failing firm” defence claims, for which the CMA will maintain a high bar. By John D. Colahan, Stephanie Adams, and Peter Citron On 22 April 2020 the UK’s Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) published guidance on its assessment of mergers during the COVID-19 pandemic. This follows the guidance the … Continue Reading
Shifting environment presents the chance to unearth value and should pave the way to boost the number of mid-market deals. By Manuel Deó The Spanish M&A market in 2018 has been characterised by a series of large-cap transactions, helped by an abundance of cheap financing for the right deals. The total deal value on large-cap … Continue Reading
By Daniel Treloar Last year marked a continuation of strong M&A volumes, with US$3.15 trillion in global transactions according to data provider, Mergermarket. Strong activity, driven by cheap debt and a low growth environment, has continued into Q1 2018, and large deals are expected to be a fixture of the M&A landscape in the year … Continue Reading
The FCA has recently announced that it will begin a review of how firms have implemented the unbundling rules “within weeks”. By Beatrice Lo and Jonathan Ritson-Candler At its recent asset management conference, the FCA announced that it will imminently launch a review of how asset managers have implemented the new MiFID II obligation to … Continue Reading
By William Lu and Jiyeon Lee-Lim The fundamental US tax reforms brought in this year by the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act (TCJA) have changed the tax landscape for M&A more significantly than any other legislation in the modern era. Businesses and tax advisors will be considering the various opportunities created and threats posed by … Continue Reading
Buyers of businesses that produce military or dual-use goods, certain aspects of computing hardware, or quantum technology for supply in the UK should carefully assess the risk of governmental intervention if their targets fall within the scope of the new regime. By Jonathan D. Parker and Calum M. Warren On 11 June 2018, the UK … Continue Reading
By Jonathan Parker and Anuj Ghai Summary The Competition & Markets Authority (CMA) has imposed a £20,000 fixed penalty on Hungryhouse Holdings Limited (Hungryhouse). The CMA imposed the penalty under Section 110 of the Enterprise Act 2002 (EA02) for failure to comply, without reasonable excuse, with a requirement the CMA issued in a notice pursuant to section … Continue Reading
By Jana K. Dammann de Chapto and Joachim Grittmann The German government has tightened the rules for its review proceedings for M&A involving non-EU investors, with changes to its German Foreign Trade and Payments Ordinance (Außenwirtschaftsverordnung) that significantly increase foreign investment oversight. The new rules, which came into force on 18 July 2017, introduce a … Continue Reading
By John Colahan As part of UK Prime Minister Theresa May’s new industrial strategy, private equity deal teams should expect a more interventionist approach to the acquisition of strategically important UK businesses by foreign buyers. The UK government has signaled its intention of creating a “proper industrial strategy”, making it capable of stepping in when … Continue Reading
By Howard Sobel, Michele Johnson, Sarah Diamond and Anna Hyde Following nearly every announcement of a public-company acquisition in the US, including take-private acquisitions by private equity investors, plaintiffs’ law firms file class actions on behalf of shareholders. These actions are usually based on allegations that the target board of directors breached fiduciary duty (for … Continue Reading
