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According to the figures, the value of foreign takeover bids for UK companies has risen 79 per cent to £74bn so far this year.
Deals targeting UK companies totaled £102 billion in the first nine months of 2024, data from the London Stock Exchange Group (LSEG) revealed, with an increasing proportion coming from abroad.
The proportion of offers from abroad rose to 72 percent – the highest level in three years – while the remaining 28 percent involved domestic buyers.
The £7.3bn acquisition of paper and packaging group DS Smith by US company International Paper is its biggest so far this year.
The figures also include the pending £4bn acquisition of Royal Mail owner International Distribution Services by Czech billionaire Daniel Kretinsky and the £3.8bn sale of cybersecurity firm Darktrace to the American private equity firm Thoma Bravo.
The stakes are high: deals targeting UK companies totaled £102 billion in the first nine months of 2024, data from the London Stock Exchange Group revealed.
It highlights the growing appeal of relatively cheap British shares to global investors at a time when the technology sector frenzy has driven Wall Street valuations to a succession of all-time highs.
But the trend has also raised fears about the London market’s declining status as a listing venue.
Lucille Jones, senior manager at LSEG Deals Intelligence, said the rise in UK procurement activity had been “driven by mega deals”.
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