BP's spill deal is 'catalyst' for acquirers as uncertainty ends

London

BP plc's US$18.7 billion US legal settlement is being cheered by investors and analysts as it ends five years of financial uncertainty. It also makes the British oil producer a more attractive takeover target.

Potential buyers, held back by unquantifiable liabilities related to the company's 2010 Gulf of Mexico spill, may find a slimmed down BP more appealing and digestible.