4 December 2016
Slumptastic
Weak and volatile prices dulled M&A activity in 2016, with a few exceptions
It has been a tough old run for anyone trying to get deals done in the world's oil and gas sector. Just ask Halliburton. Its $28bn takeover of Baker Hughes collapsed, leaving it to watch as, a few months later, its target fell into a proposed merger with GE. In 2015, global upstream deal value plunged, according to 1Derrick and PwC, which compile such data. The total number of deals wasn't down by much - just 31, to 1,537. But values were. Transactions amounted to just $150.86bn, a drop of almost a quarter from a year earlier. Pushing mergers across the line was a problem everywhere. Several large, unsolicited corporate takeover bids were rejected and asset deal value fell to a 10-year low,
Also in this section
4 December 2025
Time is running out for Lukoil and Rosneft to divest international assets that will be mostly rendered useless to them when the US sanctions deadline arrives in mid-December
3 December 2025
Aramco’s pursuit of $30b in US gas partnerships marks a strategic pivot. The US gains capital and certainty; Saudi Arabia gains access, flexibility and a new export future
2 December 2025
The interplay between OPEC+, China and the US will define oil markets throughout 2026
1 December 2025
The North African producer’s first bidding round in almost two decades is an important milestone but the recent extension suggests a degree of trepidation
