calendar The $200 billion month speaker high volume Want to listen to an audio version of this email? link Click here (as recorded by awesome Finimizer link Bob O'Brien ) Hello Matt, this Weekly Review is for the week of Nov 20 24 and should take you 3:00 minutes to read. heading level 1 M and A Emerges In Apt Conditions After a slow start for big link mergers and acquisitions (M and A) this year, dealmaking has picked up in November – and there’s plenty more under discussion. Unlabeled graphic To get missing image descriptions, open the context menu. heading level 3 Recap list with 4 items bullet Three weeks ago, Broadcom made a bid for Qualcomm, a deal that would create a $200 billion computer chip making juggernaut. Qualcomm, which is itself trying to buy rival NXP in a $38 billion deal, has so far rebuffed the attempt. greater link Read our story bullet Two weeks ago, it was reported that Hasbro had tried to buy rival Mattel in a deal that would unite America’s two biggest toy companies. greater link Read our story bullet Over the past few weeks, it’s emerged that a plethora of media and telecom giants, including Disney and Comcast, are considering bidding for 21st Century Fox’s television and movie business. greater Read our stories link here and link here bullet On Monday, the US Department of Justice sued to block telecom giant AT and T from acquiring Time Warner, the media company, on the grounds that it would harm competition too much. greater link Read our story out of list heading level 3 Connecting The Dots It was a slow start to 2017, and the overall volume of global dealmaking is still link about 12 percent lower link than this time last year – at its lowest since 2013 dot November, however, has seen a veritable frenzy of activity, putting it on track to be link one of the busiest months ever dot And there are yet more blockbuster deals simmering in the background. Political uncertainty following President Trump’s election is link often cited as one of the reasons for the M and A slowdown (e dot g. companies may be waiting for clarity on tax reforms before making big decisions), but the underlying forces driving M and A appear to be overriding the uncertainty factor. For one, link interest rates remain at a historically low level, meaning it’s quite cheap for companies to borrow in order to fund takeovers dot 1 heading level 3 Take Aways list with 2 items 1. Companies in established industries are also getting a kick from their new competitors, the fast growing tech giants. Disney’s interest in Fox almost certainly stems from a desire to bulk up its content offering to better compete with the likes of Netflix. Meanwhile, US drugstore link CVS is looking to take over link health insurer Aetna amid signs that Amazon is entering the pharmacy business. The plan is to offer services like blood testing and insurance sign up in CVS’s existing physical stores – business lines that Amazon can’t offer (yet!). Often M and A occurs in staid industries where companies see consolidation as a way to cut costs; but it’s competition from the new tech giants that’s behind some of the big deals currently under consideration dot 2 2. The attempt to block AT and T’s acquisition of Time Warner may scupper dealmaking in the near term. The outcome of the court case between the US Department of Justice and AT and T will likely have a significant bearing on future M and A. Just the decision to challenge the deal may be an indication that President Trump’s administration is not as open to dealmaking as many had assumed. If companies think a deal will get blocked, they’re less likely to go through the hassle of trying in the first place. out of list heading level 3 On Our Radar Chinese stocks had link their worst day in more than a year on Thursday as they fell over 3 percent . There’s increasing nervousness that the Chinese government’s recent attempts to combat high debt within the country will have a negative impact on companies’ profits (e dot g. higher interest rates mean higher costs). Back in 2015, big selloffs in China reverberated in markets around the world – so this is very much worth keeping an eye on. Further Reading 1. The rising level of companies’ debt, partly due to M and A costs, is causing concern among some investors, via Bloomberg: link Read More 2. JP Morgan’s co head of M and A says competition from tech giants is a major reason for increasing M and A, via Business Insider: link Read More laptop computer We've partnered up to give away a bunch of tech gear just in time for the holidays (Mac Book Air, Smart TV, Beats Solo, and more!) smiling face with sunglasses link Enter to win here speech balloon Have any feedback on the Weekly Review? link Tell us! Last week's Weekly Review? link Check it out here link Image Source Copyright Copyright 2017 Finimize, All rights reserved. You signed up to this mailing list at finimize dot com Our mailing address is: Finimize Third Floor, 1 New Fetter Lane London, EC 4A 1AN United Kingdom link Add us to your address book Want to change how you receive these emails? You can link update your preferences or link unsubscribe from this list