Bain Capital

Bidders may be lining up for Sara Lee as private equity firm Apollo assembles an investor group to explore a possible offer and Brazilian meat-processor JBS considers coming back with a better deal.

Gold is on a record bull run, up from $328 in 2002 to $1,375 an ounce today. What caused that steep rise wasn't any inherent increase in gold's value to society, but a clever marketing scheme that allowed it to be traded easily without the hassle of physical delivery: The SPDR Gold ETF.

Children's clothing retailer Gymboree (GYMB) has agreed to be acquired by private-equity firm Bain Capital Partners for $1.8 billion in an all-cash deal, the companies said Monday. Bain's offer values Gymboree stock at $65.40 a share, a 24% premium to Gymboree's closing stock price Friday....

After seeing interest from potential buyers, children's clothing retailer Gymboree has hired Goldman Sachs to auction itself off, and more private-equity firms have already stepped in to say they want to play. Gymboree executives are reportedly looking for price of $55 to $60 a share.

Private equity is starting to ramp up dealmaking, as Bain Capital agreed to pay $1.63 billion to Dow Chemical for Styron.

Now that private equity is no longer producing monster returns, it's time to assess its value. By using debt, buyout shops have taken over struggling companies and enriched investors. But critics say the practice leads to more layoffs and the "flipping" of companies.

No media corporation is immune to today's advertising downturn, and Clear Channel Communications, an immense and fearsome force in radio, is no exception. A radio conglomerate in business since 1972, Clear Channel, based in San Antonio, Texas, seemed invincible back in 1996, when new regulations...