making most of the running

[me78]

"Local firms are making most of the running"
Does it mean that local firms are winning in taking over another firms or is it an idiom.
and what does it mean: "like so much in JApan,..take overs are red hot"

thanks

[MikeNewYork]

"Local firms are making most of the running"
Does it mean that local firms are winning in taking over another firms or is it an idiom.
and what does it mean: "like so much in JApan,..take overs are red hot"

thanks

I don't know what the first one means. Do you have any context?

"Like so much in Japan" means "like so many other things in Japan".

[Tdol]

I think it just means that local, not foreign, firms are leading the way in the takeovers.