Cross-Border M&A Falls To Lowest Since 2009

LONDON: Cross-border merger and acquisition deal volumes are down by almost a third so far this year from 2012 levels, making this the slowest year to date for international transactions since 2009, Thomson Reuters data showed on Friday.

Deals like the $19.3 billion merger of publishing giants Publicis Groupe and Omnicom Group  have lifted announced cross-border volumes to $384 billion in 2013, according to the data, but volumes are still 31 percent lower than at the same period last year.