ma
Summer's Sudden Boom in Mergers and Acquisitions
After a couple of fairly sleepy years, mergers and acquisition activity has bounced back dramatically, with potential long-term consequences for the stock market. It's a rare ray of hope at a time when other economic indicators are pointing straight toward the floor.
HP Tops Dell's Bid in Battle for 3Par
Hewlett-Packard raised the stakes once again in its bidding war with Dell over data-storage company 3Par, offering $1.8 billion and topping Dell's own higher bid made earlier in the day.
Dell Prepares to Counter HP Bid for 3Par
The battle is heating up. After a $1.6 billion counteroffer from Hewlett-Packer Monday, Dell is said to be preparing a sweetened bid for data storage provider 3Par.
Aon Buys Hewitt for $4.9 Billion
Aon Corp. and Hewitt Associates announced Monday that the boards of directors of both companies have approved a definitive agreement under which Hewitt will merge with a subsidiary of Aon.
GS No. 1 in M&A
Despite fraud charges and adverse publicity over bonus payments, Goldman Sachs has reclaimed its position as top global mergers and acquisitions advisor for the first half of 2010.
Expect Layoffs and Strikes in the UAL-Continental Merger
UAL is expected to announce today that it will "buy" Continental in a transaction that is more a merger of equals.
UAL & Continental Battle over Stock Price
Talks between UAL and Continental may be in trouble. The companies don't agree about the price of each company's shares.
MasterCard's Online Mall Isn't Just a 'Big Brother' Ploy
Using behavioral targeting, MasterCard will "aim" products and services at shoppers as they "wander" through the online mall. But it will give shoppers' data to retailers only after cardholders sign up for the service.
Fortress Fights For Growth with Logan Buy
Alternative-asset manager Fortress Investment Group had impeccable timing when the firm went public in 2007; since then, things have deteriorated substantially -- for everybody. But Fortress is looking for opportunities again, so this week the firm bought Logan Circle Partners.
Amazon Answers iPad with Move Toward a Super-Kindle
The Kindle was already looking somewhat dated even before the iPad appeared on the scene and changed the whole e-reader paradigm. To deal with this, Amazon.com has purchased a tiny tech firm called Touchco it hopes will provide the next Kindle with an advantage over the competition.
Gloom Rules Wall Street as Equities Drop to Three-Month Lows
Stocks suffered sharp declines Thursday amid weak jobs data, European debt fears and some disappointing earnings outlooks. Jittery investors scrambled out of equities and commodities and back into safe havens such as Treasurys and the dollar ahead of Friday's key unemployment report.
Semiconductor M&A Heats Up
Last year was a tough one for M&A in the semiconductor industry. According to Dealogic, the volume plunged from $11.2 billion to $3.2 billion. But lately, there has been some increase in activity. This week, Microchip Technology (MCHP) agreed to pay $275 million or $2.85 per share for Silicon Storage Technology (SSTI).
What Dealmakers Are Saying at Davos
Just a year ago, private equity was frozen amid fear that the global economic system would fall into the abyss. While the world avoided that worst-case scenario and growth hasn't exactly roared back, the world economy is perking up -- and so is dealmaking.