Newcrest takes top honours for M&A deal of the week, while we think we have some good oil on who is lined up to handle the year’s biggest float.
As we reported online on Thursday, Bain Capital and Virgin Australia are believed to be close to appointing investment banks Goldman Sachs, UBS and Barrenjoey to oversee its proposed re-listing, with the chance of a wildcard fourth bank still not dismissed.
It would be a good mandate for all the investment banks, with Virgin Australia’s run at the ASX boards sure to attract plenty of attention (if not interest) in coming months.
Elsewhere, we take a look at a counter-cyclical play that private equity firms are known to be thinking about.
It’s seven years since Reliance Worldwide Corp hit the ASX boards, and suitors are thinking about whether it’s possible to return it back into private hands.
The hot young thing in Australian resources, Chalice Mining, is back on investors’ radars, with movement on its share register prompting all sorts of theories about deep-pocketed strategic players buying in.