07 Jun 2017, 9:49 am
The Office for National Statistics (ONS) said there were 40 instances in the first three months of 2017 where foreign companies completed deals to buy UK-based businesses. Those deals had a total value of $5.1 billion, which is the "lowest value recorded" since the final quarter of 2014, it said.
During the first quarter this year, UK businesses also completed 26 acquisitions of companies based elsewhere in the world. The value of those deals totalled £1.9bn, which is lowest recorded total value for such deals since the third quarter of 2013, the ONS said.
According to the figures, there were also 48 "successful domestic acquisitions" in the UK by UK businesses during the first three months of 2017. The average value of those deals was £75m.
The ONS said: "Overall, during the first quarter (Jan to Mar) of 2017 and despite quarter-on-quarter M&A volatility, the total number of successful M&A involving UK companies has remained broadly stable since the 2008 to 2009 economic downturn."