Christmas isn’t the only season for bargain hunting. Foreign investors have been snapping up cut-price UK companies throughout the year. Data from the London Stock Exchange Group shows that overseas bidders agreed $142bn worth of takeovers of British firms in the 11 and a bit months to December 17 this year — a 74 per cent increase on the same period in 2024. US buyers and private equity groups have driven much of the activity, with financial, real estate and industrial companies proving the most attractive targets. A handful of deals may still be completed before year-end.
淘便宜货并不只在圣诞季。整整一年里，海外投资者一直在抄底收购打折的英国公司。伦敦证券交易所集团(London Stock Exchange Group)的数据显示，截至今年12月17日的十一个多月里，海外竞购方同意收购英国企业的交易规模达到1420亿美元，较2024年同期增长74%。其中，美国买家与私募股权机构贡献了相当大一部分成交，金融、房地产和工业类公司成为最受追捧的标的。年底前或许仍会有少数交易落地。