mergers

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How the AT&T-Time Warner Merger Is Proof of a Rigged System

By Money Morning Staff Reports, Money Morning - October 24, 2016

The AT&T-Time Warner merger is proof that the t-comm and content industries are rigged.

But the FCC doesn't seem to care about net neutrality anymore...

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The Top 3 Moves to Make in the $811.8 Billion M&A Market

By Michael A. Robinson, Defense + Tech Specialist, Money Morning • @Robinson_STI - May 4, 2015

There's a lot of money to be made in the mergers and acquisitions (M&A) market. And we expect to see a lot more through the end of the year.

What's most important to know about this lucrative sector, however, is which "Tech Takeover Targets" to pay attention to.

So here are three stock you shouldn't ignore...

Shell, BG Group Merger Signals Huge Changes in Energy

By Money Morning Member Alert, Money Morning - April 8, 2015

The $70 billion acquisition of BG Group plc (LON: BG) by Royal Dutch Shell plc (ADR) (NYSE: RDSA) will result in a merged company with market value double that of BP plc (ADR) (NYSE: BP) and bigger than Chevron Corporation (NYSE: CVX).

According to Bloomberg News, this deal counters the prevailing view...

Heinz – Kraft Merger Represents Value, Growth

By Money Morning Member Alert, Money Morning - March 25, 2015

Kraft Foods Group Inc (NASDAQ: KRFT) opened at an all-time high Wednesday on the news of its merger with HJ Heinz Company (NYSE: HNZ).

Learn more about the merger of Kraft Foods Group and HJ Heinz Company.

S&P 500 Closes at New Record High Friday

By Garrett Baldwin, Behavioral Trading Specialist, Money Morning - February 13, 2015

The S&P 500 gained 8 points today to close at a new record high. The cause? Positive macro-economic forces spreading across Europe.

The Russia-Ukraine ceasefire, improved data on the German economy, and improving prospects for a Greek debt agreement pushed stocks higher.

Here are the top market stories from today - plus our new profit tip for investors...

Let's Make a Deal: How the Mergers-and-Acquisitions Boom Will Hurt the U.S. Economy

By Martin Hutchinson, Global Investing Specialist, Money Morning - August 31, 2010

With its $39 billion hostile bid for Canada's Potash Corp. (NYSE: POT), mining giant BHP Billiton Ltd. (NYSE ADR: BHP) capped an active August in the mergers-and-acquisitions market.

With the moribund growth prospects of the U.S. economy, there would seem to be no great urgency for companies to go on an M&A spree, yet the total value of announced buyout deals for August alone has topped $175 billion.

Cynics are reaching only one conclusion: With interest rates so low and corporations so cash-rich, it seems that company management teams would rather do anything with that cash than to give it back to shareholders via stock buybacks or boosted dividends.

And those deals signal additional trouble ahead for the U.S. economy.

To understand the problems that this rampant dealmaking figures to cause, please read on...

Investors' Hopes Riding on Surge in M&A Activity

By Don Miller, Contributing Writer, Money Morning - August 24, 2010

Global mergers and acquisitions (M&A) activity is at its highest level since late 2009, providing a glimmer of hope to investors struggling to decipher stock and bond markets roiled by a weakening U.S. economy.

Global takeovers announced so far this year have totaled $1.29 trillion, up 23% from the same time last year, according to Bloomberg News.

Last week a flurry of bleak economic news headlined by larger than expected unemployment claims spurred a 280-point drop in the Dow Jones Industrial Average.

But, investors took some solace from a flurry of M&A activity and an initial public offering (IPO) from General Motors Co., because acquisitions are seen as a sign companies are confident the economy will grow and business will improve.

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Japan's Astellas Pharma Is the Latest Company to Go Global to Dodge Patent Problems

By Kerri Shannon, Associate Editor, Money Morning - May 18, 2010

Japan's second-largest drug maker Astellas Pharma, Inc. announced yesterday (Sunday) it would buy U.S. biotech OSI Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (Nasdaq: OSIP) for $4 billion to increase its exposure to the U.S. pharmaceuticals market and build up its struggling pipeline.

The all-cash bid is Astellas' second for the sought-after OSI after a March 1 $3.5 billion offer was rejected. Astellas will pay $57.50 per OSI share, 11% more than the first offer and 55% more than OSI's last closing price before Astellas starting bidding. OSI closed at $59.80 Friday.

OSI's money-making cancer drug Tarceva generated $1.2 billion in sales last year and is projected to bring in $7 billion in revenue through 2020. Astellas wants to build a global cancer-drug business and jointly develop more cancer drugs with OSI.

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The Airline Industry: How to Make Good Money From a Bad Business

By Guest Editorial, Money Morning - May 7, 2010

After years of off-and-on conversation, UAL Corp.'s United Airlines (NASDAQ: UAUA) is getting into bed with Continental Airlines Inc. (NYSE: CAL) in a merger deal valued at $3.7 billion. The merged entity, keeping the "United" name, will be the largest airline in the world. It will have close to $30 billion in combined revenue, 700 aircraft, and service to 370 destinations in 59 countries, according to BusinessWeek. Early estimates predict savings to reach $1 billion to $1.2 billion annually.

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Money Morning Mailbag: What's More Broken – Washington or Wall Street?

By Kerri Shannon, Associate Editor, Money Morning - April 23, 2010

While policymakers will have taken up the debate over financial reform in the halls of Congress, Money Morning readers have been posting comments to our Money Morning Facebook page and writing in to our e-mail mailbag at mailbag@moneymappress.com with their thoughts on the Goldman Sachs Group Inc. (NYSE: GS) case and the relationship between Washington and Wall Street.

A week after the Securities and Exchange Commission brought fraud charges against Goldman Sachs, President Barack Obama yesterday (Thursday) blamed the financial meltdown on both Washington and Wall Street in a speech in New York and urged Wall Street giants to stop fighting reform.

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