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Spread bets and CFDs are complex instruments and come with a high risk of losing money rapidly due to leverage. 69% of retail investor accounts lose money when trading spread bets and CFDs with this provider. You should consider whether you understand how spread bets and CFDs work, and whether you can afford to take the high risk of losing your money.

DS Smith shares soar on bidding war prospect

DS Smith shares jumped to more than a two-year high after confirming it had talks with International Paper about an all-stock offer.

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IGTV's Angeline Ong explains why this could be the start of a long bidding war for the British paper and packaging company.

(AI Video Summary)

DS Smith shares soar over talks with International Paper

DS Smith, a British company that deals with paper and packaging, is currently in discussions with International Paper (IP) about a possible deal. This deal would involve IP making an offer to DS Smith that is entirely in stock and worth a whopping £5.7 billion. To put it in perspective, this offer is a massive 48% more than DS Smith's closing price on 7 February.

The news of this potential merger has caused a lot of buzz in the market, and as a result, DS Smith's share price has shot up. If you were to look at their graph, you would see a bold black line representing the opening price, which matches the closing price of the previous session. On top of that, the volume of shares being traded has also increased dramatically.

Merger bidding war

Now, this merger between DS Smith and IP isn't all that surprising. Folks in the paper industry have been expecting something like this for a while now. In fact, Mondi, another player in the market, already made a preliminary bid, and it wouldn't be shocking if they came back with an even higher offer. You see, the packaging industry is currently thriving because of the surge in online shopping and deliveries. With more and more people buying things online, there is a higher demand for packaging materials, which makes this market very appealing to potential buyers. It's no wonder DS Smith's share price is skyrocketing.

This information has been prepared by IG, a trading name of IG Markets Limited. In addition to the disclaimer below, the material on this page does not contain a record of our trading prices, or an offer of, or solicitation for, a transaction in any financial instrument. IG accepts no responsibility for any use that may be made of these comments and for any consequences that result. No representation or warranty is given as to the accuracy or completeness of this information. Consequently any person acting on it does so entirely at their own risk. Any research provided does not have regard to the specific investment objectives, financial situation and needs of any specific person who may receive it. It has not been prepared in accordance with legal requirements designed to promote the independence of investment research and as such is considered to be a marketing communication. Although we are not specifically constrained from dealing ahead of our recommendations we do not seek to take advantage of them before they are provided to our clients. See full non-independent research disclaimer and quarterly summary.

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