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The article states that Swiss agricultural company Syngenta AG was in merger talks with U.S. chemical company DuPont Co. as of early November 2015, and that DuPont was in separate discussions with chemical firm Dow Chemical Co. to purchase Dow's seed and pesticide unit. According to the article, the possibility of mergers in the industry gained traction following agriculture firm Monsanto Co.'s abandoned effort to acquire Syngenta. The article presents comments from DuPont interim chief executive Edward Breen.

The article states that the board of directors of brewer SABMiller PLC announced on October 13, 2015, that it would recommend that its shareholders approve a $104.2 billion takeover bid from rival Anheuser-Busch (AB) InBev NV. According to the article, SABMiller chairman Jan du Plessis played a significant role in convincing the board to negotiate a more favorable price from AB InBev. The article states that the announcement came a day after computer company Dell Inc. announced that it would purchase high technology firm EMC Corp.

The article states that Dublin, Ireland, pharmaceutical firm Shire PLC was considering enhancing its $30.6 billion bid to acquire U.S. biotechnology company Baxalta Inc. by initiating a share buyback program soon after the acquisition in order to put cash in the hands of shareholders. According to the article, Shire's initial offer to Baxalta, which was rejected in July 2015, did not include cash in order to maintain Baxalta's tax-free status following its spinoff from the firm Baxter International Inc.

The article discusses a widening of a measurement known as the arb gap which gauges the difference between the price offered and the trading price of companies subject to pending takeover bids as of late August 2015. According to the article, wide spreads indicate an erosion of confidence among investors that the bids will end successfully. The article discusses arb gap discrepancies in the agreements between the firms Royal Dutch Shell PLC and BG Group PLC, Halliburton Co. and Baker Hughes Inc., and Avago Technologies Ltd. and Broadcom Corp.

The article states that German broadcaster ProSiebenSat.1 AG and German publishing firm Axel Springer SE were negotiating a possible merger as of mid-2015. According to the article, the combined market capitalization of the businesses is about $16 billion. The article states that Axel Springer is Germany's largest newspaper publisher and ProSiebenSat.1's channels enjoy the largest market share of nonstate-controlled broadcasters in Germany. The article also discusses German media firm Bertelsmann SE.

The article reports that telecommunications-equipment maker Nokia Corp. is nearing agreement on a deal to acquire French counterpart Alcatel-Lucent. French Economy Minister Emmanuel Macron said a combined entity would be able to compete with Chinese rivals including Huawei Technologies Co. and ZTE Corp. Additional information is presented about industry trends that could favor large competitors.

The article reports that the boards of cement makers Lafarge SA and Holcim Ltd. are seeking a way to preserve the proposed merger of the two companies. The financial performance of Lafarge since the deal was announced in July 2014 has created reservations among Holcim board members about Lafarge chief executive Bruno Lafont running the combined entity. A rise in the Swiss franc relative to the euro has also prompted Holcim to seek new financial terms for the deal.

The article reports that Swiss cement producer Holcim Ltd. has raised objections to its proposed merger with French counterpart Lafarge SA that cast doubt upon the deal. Holcim wants to change the one-for-one ratio of the share swap the combination entails, and also wants to reconsider whether Lafarge chief executive Bruno Lafont should run the combined entity. Reservations on the part of Holcim's board and large shareholders prompted the reconsideration.

The article discusses increased interest among Chinese companies in investing in small European finance firms. In February 2015 Anbang Insurance Group Co. agreed to buy the insurance unit of financial group SNS Reaal. An acquisition of Portuguese banking company Novo Banco is reportedly being considered by Chinese conglomerate Fosun International Ltd.

The article reports that drug company Shire PLC will acquire NPS Pharmaceuticals Inc. for $5.2 billion. NPS develops treatments for rare diseases, and Shire chief executive Flemming Ornskov said the move was part of Shire’s efforts to transform itself into a biotechnology company. Shire will finance the deal partly from the $1.6 billion breakup fee it got from rival AbbVie Inc. after the latter abandoned its attempt to buy Shire in October 2014.

The article discusses German investments in the U.S., said to be fueled by low interest rates and weak economic growth in Europe. On September 22, 2014 German drug company Merck KgaA said it would buy U.S. life-sciences firm Sigma-Aldrich Corp., and U.S. energy-equipment maker Dresser-Rand Group Inc. agreed to be acquired by German industrial company Siemens AG. Siemens chief executive Joe Kaeser has sought to position his company to benefit from growth in the U.S. energy market.

The article discusses the leading role of law firm Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom LLP in promoting inversions, a type of merger that allows U.S. companies to lower their tax bills. Attorneys for Skadden, Arps conceived the idea for inversions in 2010. The firm has been involved in 78% of inversion deals, by dollar value, since 2011. Among deals Skadden, Arps has advised on is drug company AbbVie Inc.'s proposed buyout of rival Shire PLC.

The article discusses Michael and Yoel Zaoui. For years the brothers were rival investment bankers at Morgan Stanley and Goldman Sachs Group Inc., respectively. In the fall of 2013 they started their own boutique investment bank, Zaoui & Co. Since then they have been hired to work on several notable mergers including those involving drug company GlaxoSmithKline PLC and cement producer Lafarge SA.

The article reports that on May 18, 2014 chief executive Ian Read of drug company Pfizer Inc. said his firm had made its best and final offer to acquire rival AstraZeneca PLC. Reid said he had spoken on the phone that day with AstraZeneca chairman Leif Johansson and chief executive Pascal Soriot. Pfizer has offered $92.38 in cash and stock for each share of AstraZeneca.

The article examines a trend in corporate finance in 2014 in which there has been an increase in acquisitions and takeover offers by large companies for $30 billion or more. Examples cited include mass media industry firm Comcast Corp's bid for Time Warner Cable, a possible merger of pharmaceutical industry company Pfizer Inc. with AstraZeneca PLC and Valeant Pharmaceuticals International's bid for Allergan Inc.

The article discusses investment bank Stifel Financial Corp.'s agreement to acquire rival KBW Inc. for $575 million. KBW has struggled amid a slowdown in its specialty, advising on mergers in the financial industry. Stifel chief executive Ronald Kruszewski said his firm, which has grown significantly through acquisitions since 2007, wants to become the world's leading middle-market investment bank.

The article discusses the economic activity and purchase of smaller companies by U.S. technology start-up companies such as online social media company Facebook Inc., online computer company Groupon Inc., and technology company Zynga Inc. during the first economic quarter of 2012. The article cites statistics compiled by U.S. market research firm Dealogic to state that the companies purchased a combined total of 21 firms.

The article examines the proposed acquisition by social media firm Facebook Inc. of photography-sharing service Instagram for $1 billion. The role of Facebook Chief Executive Officer (CEO) and controlling stockholder Mark Zuckerberg in reaching an agreement on the acquisition is examined, particularly the fact that Zuckerberg negotiated with Instagram CEO Kevin Systrom independently and did not notify Facebook's board of directors of the transaction until negotiations were nearly complete.

The article discusses the purchase of Instagram, maker of a smartphone application that enables users to share photographs, by online social-media company Facebook Inc. for $1 billion. Founded by Mike Krieger and chief executive Kevin Systrom, Instagram has yet to derive any revenue. Systrom has a 45% stake in the company.

The article considers Internet industry finance related to so-called daily deal firms which offer coupons for rebates on goods and services. A trend is considered in which many of the companies offering that service which were created in reaction to the success of Groupon Inc. have either failed or been acquired by other firms. This is attributed to a significant rise in cost of operations for those companies, particularly the costs of attracting and retaining subscribers.

The article discusses cultural differences between Illinois-based smartphone maker Motorola Mobility Holdings Inc. and the company that has agreed to buy it, Internet-search firm Google Inc. of California. It is noted that Google is more accepting of risk-takers, and prides itself on having highly intelligent employees.

The article discusses growing opposition to telecommunication firm AT&T Inc.'s proposed buyout of wireless service provider T-Mobile USA. AT&T rival Sprint Nextel Corp. has been an outspoken critic of the deal, and chief executive Doug Hutcheson of Leap Wireless International Inc. has said the public's interest would not be served by it.

The article considers the merger of the cell phone services industry companies AT&T Inc. and T-Mobile USA. The possibility that the administration of U.S. President Barack Obama will seek to prevent the merger on grounds of antitrust law is considered. Political activity by AT&T Inc. is considered, particularly its long history of lobbying of and campaign contributions to U.S. legislators.

The article reports that telecommunications firm AT&T Inc. will buy the T-Mobile USA wireless operations from rival Deutsche Telekom AG for $39 billion in cash and stock. The combined entity would be the largest provider of wireless service in the U.S. AT&T said some $40 billion in cost cuts would be possible as a result of the merger.

The article reports that cellphone service-provider Sprint Nextel Corp. is discussing a possible merger with rival T-Mobile USA. Sprint's size puts it at a competitive disadvantage in the U.S. marketplace, while T-Mobile lags in its efforts to construct next-generation networks. No deal is considered imminent, as the two sides are said to disagree on a price for T-Mobile and on who would manage a combined entity.

The article focuses on the plans of IHS Inc., a provider of information and anlaytics in the U.S., and Markit Ltd., a market-data company in Great Britain, to merge for the creation of IHS Markit. Topics discussed include the low rate of corporate tax in Great Britain, the deal values and shares of Markit, and IHS chief executive officer Jerre Stead who will be IHS Markit's (CEO).

The article reports on the merger of London Stock Exchange Group PLC (LSE) and German securities trading organizer Deutsche Börse AG. Both companies have agreed to merge in a deal that would create the biggest stock-exchange operator in Europe, posing a formidable challenge to large U.S. competitors.

The article reports on the near acquisition of Swiss pesticide maker Syngenta AG by China Chemical Corp. (ChemChina). It mentions that the deal is considered significant for the Chinese government in recovering the republic's economy and enhancing its agricultural capabilities for feed its population. It also presents a chart of China's purchase of companies worldwide.

The article focuses on the increase in mergers and acquisitions (M&A) activities in the U.S. in 2016 which according to Gregg Lemkau of banking company Goldman Sachs Group Inc., low interest rates and debt capacity are fundamentals to deals.

The article reports that according to Royal Dutch Shell PLC's chief executive officer Ben van Beurden the firm will hold onto the 70 billion dollars takeover of BG Group PLC.

The article reports on an increasing number of companies leaving the U.S. through inversion deals following the Treasury Department's decision to clamp down on the tax-fueled mergers.

The article states that Atlanta, Georgia, beverage firm Coca-Cola Co. bottling company Coca-Cola Enterprises Inc. was in talks concerning a merger between bottlers Coca-Cola Iberian Partners and Coca-Cola Erfischungsgetränke AG as of late July 2015.