A strong US dollar, undervalued asset prices and increased global scrutiny of corporate governance practices are contributing to an uptick in shareholder activism incidents around the world.According to the Global Shareholder Activism map from FTI Consulting, there were 342 activism campaigns outside the US in 2016, compared with only 70 in 2010. Over the same period in the US, the number of campaigns increased from 135 to 645.Speaking to IR Magazine, Steven Balet, managing director and head of corporate governance & activist engagement at FTI Consulting, says: ‘We have seen some of the larger US activists going overseas with US-style activism. But we’re increasingly seeing a great deal of home-grown shareholder activism in Australia, the UK and the Nordic countries.’
Source: IR Magazine | Shareholder activism outside of US increases fivefold since 2010