Industrial gas suppliers Praxair and Linde are in talks to merge, Reuters reports. A deal between the two firms would create an industrial gas sector market leader worth more than $60 billion. Reuters notes that while a potential deal could face scrutiny from anti-trust regulators, the companies’ divergent areas of focus could help it avoid the fate of the scrapped Halliburton-Baker Hughes merger.
Analysts say the talks could be a response to Air Liquide’s recent acquisition of Airgas, which strengthened the former’s position in the U.S. industrial gases market behind leader Praxair.
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