NEW REPORT PREDICTS MERGERS AND ACQUISITIONS MARKET TO PICK UP

An independent research report on the global mergers and acquisitions market provides further evidence that recovery is well on its way in 2014.

Intralinks, a global collaborative software provider, recently published its Q4 2013 Intralinks Deal Flow Indicator (DFI), which assesses the potential state of the M&A market in the year ahead.

One of the main findings from the analysis was that increased confidence and optimism will be behind the market's strong recovery in the months ahead.

According to the Indicator, there will be a 17 per cent rise in year-on-year early-stage M&A activity in the first half of 2014, with North America and Europe leading much of the growth.

Matt Porzio, vice president of M&A strategy and product marketing at Intralinks, said businesses were more likely to strike deals in an economy that was settling down after a turbulent 2013.

“Many global economies are starting to show signs of stronger growth and increased confidence,” he said in a January 22 statement.

“While the start of 2013 was overshadowed by potential crises, none of the worst case scenarios materialised and global markets performed strongly. In Q4 2013, we saw that the volume of deals was still increasing and quarterly numbers were simply balancing themselves out.”

In further positive news for organisations in Australia, an earlier survey by Intralinks suggests that the future bodes well for Asia Pacific in particular.

The Global Sentiment Survey, carried out in December, surveyed almost 2,000 M&A professionals around the world on their outlook for the mergers and acquisitions market this year. More than three quarters of respondents expect an increase in M&A activity in the region in 2014, the survey revealed.

Mergers and acquisitions are one of the most substantial change management projects any organisation will undertake, regardless of wider economic confidence. To make sure you get the most out of your deal, get in touch with a M&A consultancy today.