The Big American takeover: Will the US continue its M&A spree of British companies?

Spike in deals from across the pond suggests brighter future

2018 saw the return of big ticket deal-making by US corporates in the UK, with a record number of British companies being snapped up by their American counterparts over the year.

The $87bn (£66.4bn) surge of inbound M&A from the US highlights corporate America's growing appetite for business in the UK, despite the geopolitical uncertainty that looms in the run-up to 29 March 2019, the day on which the UK is scheduled to leave the European Union. American corporates were expected to curb their overseas spending following the Trump administration tax reforms (which sought the repatriation of cash from overseas that could otherwise have been used for cross-border M&A). But this has been proven incorrect, with the number of US acquisitions now up over $57bn on last y...