UK Watchdog Invites Comments on S&P Global, IHS Markit Merger

   By Ian Walker 
 

The U.K. Competition and Markets Authority said Tuesday that it has opened a consultation on the undertakings proposed by S&P Global Inc. and IHS Markit Ltd. to address its concerns over the deal.

The regulator--which launched an investigation into S&P Global's planned $44 billion acquisition of IHS Markit last year--said is inviting comments from interested parties before making a final decision. It has set a deadline of Feb. 1 for parties to comment.

The regulator said on Oct. 26 that undertakings provided by S&P Global and IHS Markit Ltd. may satisfy its concerns over the deal and be accepted. It has until Feb. 25 to consider whether the undertakings provided, or a modified version of them, will be accepted.

The companies had offered a number of undertakings to address the regulator's concerns and on Dec. 27 agreed to sell IHS Markit's Base Chemicals business to News Corp., the parent company of Dow Jones & Co., publisher of the Wall Street Journal and Dow Jones Newswires, for $295 million.

They also said they would sell S&P's CUSIP Global Services business to FactSet Research Systems Inc. for more than $1.9 billion.

In addition S&P has pledged to sell its Leveraged Commentary & Data business, along with a related family of leveraged loan indexes, as a condition for regulatory approval of the IHS deal, which the companies expect to complete in the first quarter of 2022.

Write to Ian Walker at [e-mail]

(END) Dow Jones Newswires

January 18, 2022 07:36 ET (12:36 GMT)

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