Australia's 'maze of uncertainty' scuttles $40 billion worth of M&A, clouds outlook

By Scott Murdoch SYDNEY (Reuters) -Nearly $40 billion worth of big ticket buyouts have collapsed in Australia this year - the most in fifteen years - as regulatory risk and misaligned valuations add to the growing challenges in navigating an increasingly stringent regulatory environment. An ADNOC-led consortium's decision to walk away from its $18.7 billion bid for Santos , Australia's second largest gas producer, is the latest in a string of high-profile deals to collapse in Australia this year. The ...