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The value of M&A, private equity and venture capital deals in Latin America in October was boosted by two large transactions by US-based Duke Energy.

These two deals involved the sale by Duke of a portfolio of energy assets in Central and South America to US-based I Squared for US$1.2bn and the sale of its assets in Brazil for US$970mn to China's Three Gorges.

The third largest transaction in October was the sale of a 20% share in a portfolio of highways in Chile by Spain's Abertis to Abud Dhabi Investment Authority for US$808bn.

The total value of M&A, private equity and venture capital deals in Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Mexico and Peru increased 74% year-on-year in October to US$13.8bn and was up 17% in January-October to US$112bn.

The number of transactions was also up 19% year-on-year in October to 179, some 70 of them with disclosed values, while in January-October the total number reached 1,646, up 3% year-on-year, of which 748 had disclosed values.

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Argentina saw the largest increase in the value of deals in January-October, with a 429% hike to US$8.6bn, followed by Chile (214%, US$20.9bn), Colombia (47%, US$9.4bn) and Brazil (39%, US$64.5bn).

On the other hand, the total value of deals in January-October in Mexico and Peru dropped 18% and 17%, respectively, to US$25.1bn and US$5.7bn.

While the number and value of transactions in January-October in Mexico were below those seen in the same period of 2015, In October the number of transactions and the value jumped 14% and 734% over the same month of last year.

Source: Business News Americas / BN Americas - Chile