Value of cross-border mergers and acquisitions rose to $441 billion in first half of year

 Cross-border mergers and acquisitions (M&As) gathered strength in the first half of 2015, but may be slowing down in the second half of the year, the latest edition of UNCTAD’s Global Investment Trends Monitor (http://unctad.org/en/PublicationsLibrary/webdiaeia2015d5_en.pdf) says.

The value of net purchases reached US$441 billion in the first six months of the year, a 136% increase over the same period of 2014 and the highest level since the second half of 2007.

Multinational enterprises (MNEs) from developed countries were the principal drivers of the global cross-border M&A trend while there is a decrease of cross-border M&As by firms from developing and transition economies.