New York (HedgeCo.Net) – H1 2014 (US$ 694.6bn) has been the most active half year for US M&A since H1 2007, up 98.3% from H1 2013 (US$ 350.2bn) and a 30% increase from H2 2013 (US$534.3bn), according to a new report from MergerNarket.

The purchase of Time Warner Cable by Comcast Corporation for US$ 68.5bn and the acquisition of DIRECTV by AT&T for US$ 65.5bn were the two top deals in the US and in the global Telecommunications sector in H1 2014.

A few key US findings include:

· Q2 2014 was valued at US$ 405.2bn, more than double (up 135.6%) Q2 2013’s value (US$ 172bn), making Q2 2014 the highest valued quarter since Q2 2007

· Compared to all the other regions, the US experienced the largest increase in M&A from last year; a 44.2% share of the global market by deal value during H1 2014 was up from 34.8% in H1 2013

· Private equity buyout value during H1 2014 (US$ 80.1bn) reached the second most active half year post-crisis, despite no mega-valued buyouts. H1 2013 surpassed current levels only as a result of two mega-buyouts worth US$ 47.5bn,

Having already seen four mega-deals this year in the US, Pharma, Medical & Bio- tech activity is only strengthening. Its market share by deal value grew from 14.4%
in H1 2013 (US$ 50.3bn) to 22.6% in H1 2014 (US$ 157bn) Foreign acquirers made up a large portion of US-targeted M&A in the Pharma, Medical & Biotech sector with US$ 60.4bn-worth of deals and a 38.5% share of its total deal value. The largest such deal was the hostile offer made by Canada-based Valeant Pharmaceutical International for Allergan.

The average amount paid for a US-based Pharma, Medical & Biotech company
shared the joint highest value at US$ 1.2bn, matching the last boom in the sector
during 2009.

Alex Akesson
Editor for HedgeCo.net
alex@hedgeco.net
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