WHAT IF?
BIG DEALS ON THE CARDS
Takeover activity has been running apace. Last year there were 41 transactions valued at more than $50 million, with total transactions worth more than $45 billion, according to law firm Gilbert and Tobin. That was only a third of the unprecedented $130.6 billion of deals announced in 2021, but similar to prepandemic levels.
Despite some predictions that the rising cost of debt would put a dampener on takeover activity, 2023 is also shaping up to be another strong year. The mega deals proposed include Brookfield’s $18.7 billion acquisition of Origin Energy and the revised $19.5 billion bid for Newcrest Gold by
