Global dealmaking starts 2014 with confidence
■ During the first quarter of this year, global mergers and acquisitions (M&A) jumped 23 per cent year-on-year to $804.5bn (£485.3bn), led by 10 deals valued above $10bn.
■ The year’s biggest deal so far has been US media giant Comcast’s takeover of Time Warner Cable, worth $69.8bn, with Facebook’s $19.4bn purchase WhatsApp coming in fifth place.
■ M&A among telecoms firms dominated first quarter rankings with a total deal value of over $236bn.
■ Goldman Sachs, which is advising Holcim on its $40bn merger with Lafarge, dominated global M&A volume during the first quarter as the leading adviser on deals worth $226.9bn.
■ Lafarge is advised by Rothschild, the 15th highest M&A adviser last quarter with $39.3bn in deals, and Zaoui Capital.
■ Morgan Stanley and JP Morgan, who are advising Numericable on its €17bn takeover of SFR, took the second and third places in the global deal rankings with deals worth $212.3bn and $202.1bn respectively.
■ Vivendi is advised by Deutsche Bank and Citi, the fifth and eighth top M&A advisers by volume with deals worth $140.4bn and $114.2bn respectively.