The riches of niche databases for merger & acquisition transactions: date range, search flexibility, nations of parties involved, and deal value all come in to play in making a database decision.

Publication: Online

Publication Date: 01-NOV-05

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Mergers and acquisitions transaction research often forces information professionals to operate in a world of extremes. If you need basic data, there are a myriad of options available for obtaining party names, announcement and effective dates, and premiums. A simple news search in a general-purpose online source such as Factiva, LexisNexis, or Dialog often uncovers enough information to answer a client's query. However, when questions arise such as, "Is it a merger of equals?" or, "Was a white knight involved?," the range of prospective sources becomes more limited. Additionally, date range, search flexibility, nations of parties involved, and deal value all come in to play in making a database decision. If budget is a factor, you should carefully consider the costs, since costs vary widely. If the client is involved in a litigation situation, provider reliability and name recognition are of great importance.

THE BIG GUNS

Bloomberg, Thomson SDC, Mergerstat, Global Securities Information, Capital IQ, and Dealogic are the "big guns" of mergers and acquisitions transaction data. Some of these databases have over 20 years of historical data (Thomson SDC), and all contain thousands of transactions with hundreds of items on which to report or screen.

Bloomberg

Bloomberg [www.bloomberg.com] is a good place to start for rudimentary M&A data. Global M&A activity, the day's top deals, book manager and law firm rankings and statistics, and the latest in M&A news are displayed by typing "MA" at the top of the screen and hitting the green "GO" button. Summary sheets containing comprehensive deal overviews can be produced very quickly when deal specifics are known. Bloomberg is also a great place to look for general M&A activity volume and trends. YTD (year to date) announced deals for various sectors, including both public and private companies involved in both U.S. and international deals, are linked on the main M&A screen. Bloomberg access is priced based upon individual firm characteristics and potential usage....

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