Mexico replaced Brazil as Latin America's top M&A market in the first half.
BY CHRONICLE STAFF
America Movil’s $27.4 billion acquisition of 100 percent of the stock of Carso Global Telecom – both companies controlled by Mexican mogul Carlos Slim – was the top announced deal worldwide in the first half of this year, according to Thomson Reuters.
The other top 15 deals involved acquisitions by US, Swiss, Indian, Spanish and Australian companies.
Meanwhile, the value of mergers and acquisitions announced in Chile nearly doubled -- 91.4 percent -- to $5.4 billion.
MEXICO JUMP
As a result of the Carso acquisition (and the $7.6 billion purchase of Femsa by Netherlands-based Heineken), Mexico’s announced M&A value jumped from $1.2 billion in the first half of 2009 to $47.1 billion in the first half of this year.
The Carso purchase forms part of Slim’s plans to merge several of his telecom holdings. Earlier this month, America Movil announced that it had acquired 94 percent of Telmex Internacional for $5.5 billion from other investors.
The Carso purchase also meant that Mexico managed to dethrone Brazil as the top M&A market in Latin America. The value of announced M&A’s in Brazil reached $44.2 billion in the first half, a 51.3 percent increase from the same period last year.
However, leading M&A experts predict that Brazil will drive M&A's in the second half of the year, with significant growth in Colombia and Peru as well.
All in all, announced M&A’s in Latin America reached $119.4 billion in the first half, a 134 percent increase from last year, according to Thomson Reuters.
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