2017 likely to be a year of large M&A deals for Singapore

Singapore

2017 has started off a lot bolder and more frenzied than the preceding year for the local market, with serious money chasing big Singapore assets in a surprisingly early flurry of deal-making.

In the first week of 2017 alone, as many as two prominent Singapore-listed firms have signalled that they are up for sale; and the coming 12 months are likely to see elevated merger and acquisition (M&A) activity in large and mid-caps, market participants said.

The surge in interest in major M&A here - particularly from Chinese investors - comes after a protracted period of sliding valuations on the Singapore Exchange (SGX), wh…