DealWatch: playing a long game

Lawyer Mei Fern Johnson said deals are taking a while to get through. (Image: Russell McVeagh)

Wed, 18 Oct 2023

Big-ticket mergers and acquisitions are taking longer than usual, says top corporate lawyer Mei Fern Johnson.“When I was in Singapore recently, I was told by some of the large law firms processes are taking longer and there are a lot of bidders, but transactions are not coming to close.“There’s a misalignment between vendor’s price expectations and a more cautious bidding side,” Johnson said.“It’s the same in New Zealand,” the Russell McVeagh lawyer said, “it feels slow.&...

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