Although the total value of merger and acquisitions announced has exploded in the past two years more than $300 billion in 1999, compared to $85 billion in 1998 the gap between the number of deals announced and those actually closed is far wider than in the US or Europe.
According to Richard Kelly, managing director, Chase JF Mergers Acquisitions Asia Pacific, the growth trend is not likely to reverse. Addressing a Thomson Financial Market Insights luncheon yesterday, Kelly assured the gathering that the rapid growth of the MA business in Asia is both broad and deep the current themes driving it are debt and competition, and we predict that this will become...