U.S. ENERGY SECTOR BROILS WITH MERGERS, ACQUISITIONS - Foreign investments jumped 50% in the second quarter

摘要

Mergers and acquisitions continue to be at the forefront of the energy sector. The Oil & Gas Financial Journal recently predicted that shale plays, midstream deals and foreign investments will push U.S. oil and gas mergers and acquisitions (M&A) to US$39 billion this year. Specifically the article noted the increase of foreign investment, which represented 72% of the M&A deals announced in the second quarter of this year, a 50% leap over the activity in the comparable period of 2010. This was followed in the third quarter when BHP Billiton announced plans to acquire Petrohawk Energy Corp. for US$12.1 billion.