A year of Wheeling & Dealing

摘要

The long-rumored sale of Bollinger Shipyards-the largest privately held shipyard group in the U.S.-just two days before Christmas, was part of a year of fast and furious mergers and acquisitions in 2014. There were more than $3 trillion in mergers and acquisitions worldwide in 2014-the highest level since the financial crisis six years ago and a sign that optimism, cheap capital, and confidence has returned to the market. The mega deals were in pharmaceuti-cals and media, and energy (Halliburton and Baker Hughes), but there were notable transactions in shipbuilding and shipbuilding-related companies.