- France: According to a study by the weekly Capital Finance (LES ECHOS group, which publishes the daily of the same name), the volume of mergers by companies in France broke new records in 2000 after a 1999 already considered exceptional. Several large scale operations have been undertaken and the telecommunications sector (mainly that of the "NICT" (new information and communication technologies) was the most affected. In the lead of the largest operation are the transactions carried out by FRANCE TELECOM (acquisition of ORANGE, GLOBAL ONE, MOBILCOM) and by VIVENDI (merger with SEAGRAM, sale of SGE), but also the merger of CAP GEMINI and ERNST & YOUNG, the acquisition of NEWBRIDGE by ALCATEL, the take-over of SAATCHI & SAATCHI by PUBLICIS the sale of DLJ by AXA. The business banks having carried out the most fruitful operations where GOLDMAN SACHS (FF 1,21 billion), MORGAN STANLEY (FF 1.092 billion) and LAZARD (FF 1.025 billion).