Mergermarket's analysts say that the Baltic countries are becoming an attractive investment target in Europe, as they are gradually acquiring the image of a center of completive cheap production and IT services.
"We do think this is a long-term trend," James Hemsley, research editor at Mergermarket, said in Vilnius on Tuesday while presenting the report.
The IT sector last year stood out in terms of growth in M&A deal numbers, Hemsley said.
"IT has become highly interesting to investors. This has been due also to Microsoft's acquisition of Skype. Investors started to look for other companies as well," he said.
Hemsley predicts that the consumption sector will attract only a limited number of investments and that the technologies and production sectors may expect largest investments. Nordic investors are expected to remain active in the Baltic countries.
Estonia last year ranked first among the three countries in terms of deal numbers, accounting for 50 percent of all transactions concluded in the Baltic region. Lithuania fared best in terms of the value of deals, accounting for 55 percent of the total value of the region's M&A deals.
Mergermarket noted a considerable decline in the value of M&A deals in the region, with no deals worth more than 250 million euros concluded in 2012, unlike in 2011.
