Tracking mergers and acquisitions using Australian administrative data

Mergers and acquisitions can impact competition, prices, and productivity. But there is no comprehensive data on merger activity in Australia. We explore a range of methods to build a database of Australian mergers and acquisitions.

Using this database, we find there are around 1,500 mergers a year. The firms most likely to be targets are mid-sized, high-profit but low-productivity. Firms with a lot of patents are also likely to be targets. Large firms with trademarks are most likely to be acquirers. We also find evidence of serial acquisitions taking place in several industries.