NASDAQ OMX's Corporate Solutions business (Nasdaq:NDAQ) today announced key findings from the Mid-Market: M&A's Core report produced in association with Mergermarket. Even with the recent glut of bulge-bracket M&A transactions, mid-market deals remain the cornerstone of global M&A activity, specifically in the range of US$10 million to US$250 million.
Based on Mergermarket data spanning the last five years, the report examines the various factors driving mid-market activity during and after the global financial crisis, and why activity in this segment remains M&A's bedrock. The report also focuses on the drivers of cross-border activity in this segment of the market by closely looking at the motivations behind the choices that acquirers make from across the globe.
Some key findings from the report include:
- Transactions in the range of US$10 million to US$250 million comprise 34 percent of the overall global M&A market in terms of deal volume in 2013 (3,719 deals worth US$246bn)
- The Asia-Pacific region saw the most deal activity with 1,317 transactions for 2013 year-to-date
- Cross-border mid-market activity in the same deal range comprises 42 percent of total deal volume and 45 percent of deal value compared with the overall mid-market
"Our global research has shown that Europe is currently home to the highest number of mid-market targets that offer attractive valuations for acquirers," said Michael Cotter, Senior Vice President, Corporate Solutions, NASDAQ OMX. "This trend is partly driven by companies' need to divest assets and focus on their core competencies in current unpredictable economic times. We expect conditions to improve in 2014 and more confidence to return to the market."
Click here to view the full report. More information on NASDAQ OMX's Corporate Solutions, including WorkSpace, can be found here.