Are buyers returning to worldwide stock markets?
This week we have seen the takeover of Sun Microsystems by Oracle and the takeover of Stiefel by GlaxoSmithKline with many investors suggesting that UK and US markets could be on the turn. The above deals are multibillion dollar takeovers which only a few months ago would probably have been out of the question. So are we seeing investors return to stock markets or are these just one-off situations?
The fact that both Oracle and GlaxoSmithKline have been able to raise the funds and receive the backing of pension funds and large investors is testament to the changing philosophy in worldwide stock markets. It is also a reflection of how money markets and credit facilities now appear to be "returning to normal" after many many months in the doldrums. However, as we have mentioned on a number of occasions, the recovery in the US and the UK is currently very fragile and it would not take much bad news to "rock the boat".
While the UK market today took a turn for the worst ahead of the budget on Wednesday the last few weeks have been more stable than many people had expected. Whether we are over the worst remains to be seen but there is definitely an increase in investor appetite which is reflected in the two multibillion-dollar deals mentioned above.
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