The aim of our paper is to test (i) whether or not comparative advantage indeed
explains the direction of M&As, and (ii) whether or not we observe M&As waves. To
do so, we combine two large data sets: the bilateral trade data compiled by Feenstra et
al. (2005) and the Global Mergers and Acquisitions database of Thomson Financial
Securities Data. Both hypotheses above are supported by the data: M&As follow
comparative advantage and current M&As are determined by past M&As.