M&A activity value above €5bn

THE value of mergers and acquisitions involving Irish companies in the third quarter of this year was over €5 billion, almost three times the value of deals in the same quarter of last year, the latest M&A Tracker survey from corporate finance firm Ion Equity has said.

The survey also shows that the value of acquisitions in the first nine months of this year was €13bn, an increase of 82% on the first nine months of last year.

And while the third quarter 2007 figures were boosted by the €2.9bn acquisition of Reed Elsevier US schools division by Houghton Mifflin Riverdeep, even when this deal is excluded the value of deals in the quarter increased by more than 20%.