February
EV bus builder GoZero clinches $400m valuation; kicks off IPO campaign
Morgans and MA Moelis Australia have been appointed joint lead managers on the IPO and will be in the fast lane for a mid-2025 listing date.
‘We will buy Twitter for $US9.74b’: Altman counters Musk’s OpenAI bid
A consortium of investors led by billionaire Elon Musk is reportedly offering to buy the nonprofit that controls artificial intelligence start-up OpenAI, in a move that was quickly rejected by its chief executive Sam Altman.
January
Can this $14b start-up rescue TikTok’s US operations?
Perplexity AI, an AI-powered search engine start-up, is proposing a merger with $80 billion behemoth TikTok to get around the US ban.
December 2024
Honda, Nissan consider merger to take on Tesla, China EVs
Such a deal would create an automotive rival to Toyota that would effectively consolidate the Japanese car industry into two camps.
November 2024
CBA exit hands $5b in assets to LGT Crestone
As first reported by Street Talk, CBA sold the Commonwealth Private business and its $5 billion in funds under management to LGT on Monday.
ACCC boss implores Coalition, Greens to back merger laws
Gina Cass-Gottlieb calls it the “most critical law change they are going to have to make a decision on in the life of this parliament”.
August 2024
Competition regulator delays $8.8b Chemist Warehouse deal approval
The ACCC is undertaking more analysis of the transaction, which would merge the pharmacy giant into Sigma Healthcare. A decision won’t be made until October.
‘Harder and harder’: Why Canva’s $370m AI bet said yes
AI dollars can be “fleeting” and competing with big players can cost hundreds of millions, setting the scene for Leonardo’s sale to Canva.
July 2024
Woodside’s big bet on US LNG will collide with Trump’s second coming
Just days after Donald Trump declared he wants to “drill, baby, drill”, Woodside has placed $22 billion on an unloved US project. It isn’t without risks.
June 2024
ANZ boss says Suncorp ‘migration’ can avoid Westpac’s St George pain
Shayne Elliott insists he’s learnt from Westpac’s failure to integrate St George, while Suncorp’s Steve Johnston says he can now focus fully on insurance.
May 2024
Inside BHP’s failed tilt for Anglo – and what comes next
The post-mortems are under way, but two things are already clear: the tight time frame was never going to be enough, and BHP’s inability to win over Anglo shareholders eventually killed the deal.
March 2024
Charter Hall swallows 15pc of pubs owner HPI
The property fund manager is already the country’s biggest pubs owner after taking charge of former ASX-listed landlord ALE Group in a $1.7 billion deal three years ago.
February 2024
CSR’s patient rebuild leads to a French revolution
Julie Coates restructured the company’s operations and rebuilt its supply chain. The lift in margins those moves created helped seal a big takeover deal.
How Macquarie helped ANZ win Suncorp
After more than 18 months, ANZ finally has its prize and can buy Suncorp’s banking division. Sorting out the winners and losers isn’t as clear-cut as it seems.
November 2023
Van Eck backs in-doubt Origin takeover ahead of crucial vote
Despite intense lobbying from the energy giant, its suitors and their advisers, the market expects the $20 billion bid from EIG and Brookfield will not gain enough support.
Indonesian buyer hunts Incitec Pivot fertiliser bargain
The interim CEO of Incitec Pivot says a downturn in the fertiliser business does not mean it is the wrong time to sell it.
October 2023
Decision time for $240b IFM, ISPT mega-merger
A tie-up between the two powerful industry funds’ investment platforms has been mooted in the past, but this time around the proposal has proceeded to an offer.
Whitehaven’s $6b coal deal is about taking risk off the table
A deal to buy two Queensland mines from BHP is a potential game changer for the coal-mining company.
September 2023
Regal withdraws Pacific Current takeover bid
Regal has walked away from its bid for boutique asset management house Pacific Current citing frustration with the process, sending Pacific Current shares down 10 per cent.
Azure Capital anoints new partner
Natixis-backed corporate advisory firm Azure Capital has inducted a new name to its partnership ranks.