http://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2015-08-13/biggest-lbo-of-year-signals-appetite-may-be-growing-real-m-a By Brooke Sutherland Carlyle Group LP’s $8 billion purchase of Symantec Corp.’s data-management business shows big buyouts can still happen. The deal announced Tuesday was the largest private-equity takeover of a U.S. company so far this year. It may not hold that title through December. While the purchase price is a far cry from...

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http://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2015-02-23/dollar-s-gain-gives-ceos-more-muscle-to-acquire-abroad-real-m-a By Tara Lachapelle The stronger U.S. dollar may be the final nudge American acquirers needed to start bidding for foreign targets they’ve had their eyes on. Even as the rising currency weighs on earnings at some U.S. companies that have overseas operations, it’s also offering an added bonus for those scouring abroad...

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By Aaron Kirchfeld, Manuel Baigorri, and Tara Lachapelle Switzerland now has one more reason to join Europe’s acquisition binge in the U.S. The unexpected rise in the franc is giving Swiss companies more acquisition firepower as they seek economic growth outside of Europe, according to bankers and academics. Drugmaker Novartis AG, crop-chemicals...

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By Akane Otani Want to work on Wall Street? Suit up, turn your spell check on, and leave your risk-taking, self-starter attitude home. When finance industry professionals that interview new MBAs were asked to identify skills they deemed most important in applicants, 75 percent picked communication skills, according to a Bloomberg Businessweek survey of 1,320 recruiters conducted as part...

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http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2014-11-17/-100-billion-deal-day-evokes-1998-s-exxon-mobil-real-m-a.html By Brooke Sutherland and Tara Lachapelle The last time two mergers this huge were announced on the same day, Exxon was targeting Mobil and Bill Clinton was still in the White House. Halliburton Co. (HAL) and Actavis Plc this morning announced a combined $100 billion in takeovers. It’s rare to see two deals of $20...

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http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2014-06-13/opentable-gets-top-internet-premium-since-2007-real-m-a.html By Tara Lachapelle and Brooke Sutherland What do OpenTable Inc. (OPEN), Uber Technologies Inc. and WhatsApp Inc. have in common besides sky-high valuations? Look it up on your phone. The 53 percent premium Priceline Group Inc. is wooing OpenTable shareholders with tops any other large takeover of an Internet stock in North America since...

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http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2014-06-12/jbs-s-remaining-targets-lack-hillshire-appeal-real-m-a.html  By Brooke Sutherland JBS SA (JBSS3) is running out of consolation prizes. The Brazilian meat producer’s latest attempt at a major deal was quashed this week when Tyson Foods Inc. won the bidding war for Hillshire Brands Co. (HSH) with a record premium for the food industry. Last year, JBS was preparing...

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http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2014-02-24/herbalife-ripens-for-suitors-dismissing-ackman-real-m-a.html By Brooke Sutherland and Duane D. Stanford For suitors willing to bet Bill Ackman is wrong, Herbalife Ltd. (HLF) is a prime candidate for a buyout. Ackman’s assertions that Herbalife is a pyramid scheme pit him against company backers including Carl Icahn and Bill Stiritz, chairman of Post Holdings Inc. Stiritz, the fourth-largest holder, said last year he’d support...

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By Tara Lachapelle, Brooke Sutherland & Miles Weiss Blackstone Group LP (BX) and Carl Icahn’s bids for Dell Inc. (DELL) are employing a rarely used deal tactic that has yielded both big payouts and big losses for shareholders. The offers allowing investors to retain stock in the floundering personal-computer maker may help them win over shareholders like Southeastern Asset Management...

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