Dow and DuPont. ChemChina and Syngeta. Maybe Bayer and Monsanto. These days, it seems like every major company in the chemicals world is getting hitched. In fact, the chemical industry saw the most M&A activity of any other sector in the first half of 2016.
But analysts are predicting that some of the deal-making could start to slow down amidst Brexit concerns.
Here’s a look at how it’s unfolding, by the numbers.
$4.28 trillion = The total value of M&A activity in all of 2015 — the most ever for one year.
$244 billion = The value of deals in the chemicals sector in the first half of 2016, according to International Business Times. The chemicals industry was one of the only sectors that saw a growth in M&A activity compared to 2015.
$165.6 billion = The value of deals in energy and mining so far for 2016. Pharmaceuticals pulled in $164.3 billion worth of deals.
$130 billion = Combined value of Dow and DuPont. The two mega-companies are slated to merge by the end of this year, pending regulatory review.
$45.9 billion = Value of the deal between ChemChina and Switzerland’s Syngenta. It’s the biggest deal of the year in chemicals so far.
$62 billion = The all-cash proposal Bayer made to Monsanto recently. Monsanto initially rejected the offer but then revealed that the two companies are still in talks. So far, no agreement has been made.
$3.2 billion = The price BASF announced in June it is paying to acquire Albemarle’s metal-coating business, Chemetall. Despite the flurry of M&A activity, the world’s largest chemical company has yet to make a move for a major deal (although there have been rumors that it has been eyeing several companies). The acquisition of Chemetall was BASF’s biggest in six years, but is still dwarfed by other major deals in the sector. The company has indicated that if the right deal comes along, however, it could pounce.
$81 billion = The price Exxon Corp. paid to acquire Mobil Corp. in 1999. The deal, which created ExxonMobil, is the energy sector’s biggest of all time. Many critics were skeptical that Exxon paid too much, but the merger has since been hailed as one of the most successful in history.