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Australia's NEXTDC tops ASX 200 as Blackstone-AirTrunk deal boosts data centre operators

Shares in Australia's NEXTDC jumped more than 12% to be the leading gainer on the benchmark ASX 200 index on Thursday, buoyed by favorable sentiment in the information centre area after the sale of its larger rival AirTrunk to Blackstone.

Shares of the data centre operator advanced as much as 12.9%. to strike A$ 18.14, as of 0320 GMT, and were on track to record. their biggest intraday gain considering that February-end. The ASX 200. was up 0.1%.

They likewise struck their greatest level since Aug. 26. Nearly 5.6. million shares have changed hands so far on Thursday, 2.6 times. the 30-day average of about 2.1 million shares.

Blackstone on Wednesday said it is collectively getting. AirTrunk along with the Canada Pension Plan Financial Investment Board for. a suggested enterprise value of more than A$ 24 billion ($ 16.15. billion) from Macquarie Possession Management and the general public Sector. Pension Financial Investment Board.

The deal is the most significant leveraged-buyout of 2024 so far. globally and comes at a time when personal equity-led dealmaking. is starting to recuperate after a spike in funding costs in. 2022 and 2023 made financing buyouts more expensive and big. offers hard to clinch.

At $16.15 billion, the AirTrunk offer is the largest buyout. in Australia this year and among the most significant in current history.

The AirTrunk assessment is a huge one and definitely helping. the NEXTDC story, stated Henry Jennings, a senior market analyst. at Marcustoday, including that the acquisition would assist reinforce. valuation prospects of its competitors.

International personal equity financiers and asset managers are. preparing for billions of dollars worth of M&A and financial investments. connected to data centres in Asia Pacific, as the artificial. intelligence boom fuels need for digital facilities.

Shares of Macquarie Group leapt as much as 1.8% to. hit a record high of A$ 221.10.

(source: Reuters)