Pershing Square Capital

Following Chapter 11 bankruptcy, Borders now plans to liquidate its remaining stores. But there's a bright side to the big box bookseller's death: Its long and tragic tale provides plenty of fodder for investors. Use these lessons to ensure that your future investments have a happier ending.

When Barnes & Noble announced it was looking for a buyer, we entertained the fanciful notion that struggling rival Borders might put in a bid. As absurd as the idea was, that buyout offer has been made. Here's why it has virtually no chance of succeeding.

Shares of J.C. Penney surged as much as 16% after activist investor Bill Ackman's Pershing Square Capital Management disclosed that it had purchased a 16.5% stake in the struggling retailer.

Investors clearly aren't convinced new CEO Bennett LeBow's arrival is good news for Borders. Could it be his checkered history of failed hostile takeovers of larger companies, funneling company money for personal use and many rounds of litigation?

Days after reporting dismal holiday earnings, Borders Group is reportedly paying only some of the publishers it does business with, and the ones losing out are in the process of taking legal action.