“Aetna Inc. (AET), the third-biggest U.S. health plan, agreed to buy Coventry Health Care Inc. (CVH) for about $5.6 billion to increase its share of government business following PresidentBarack Obama’s health-care overhaul.

Aetna will pay $42.08 a share for Bethesda, Maryland-based Coventry, including $27.30 in cash and 0.3885 Aetna share, the companies said today in a joint statement. That represents a 20 percent premium over Coventry’s closing price of $34.94 on Aug. 17, which gave the company a market value of $4.68 billion. Including debt, the deal is valued at $7.3 billion.”

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“Private equity firm Carlyle said it will form a partnership with the management of Getty Images to buy Getty Images from Hellman & Friedman for $3.3 billion, the companies said on Wednesday.”

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“AMR Corp., the parent of American Airlines, is considering what its CEO calls the “attractive option” of a merger with smaller competitor US Airways Group Inc. (NYSE: LCC) as the company prepares to exit bankruptcy by the end of this year. A decision could come in “a matter of weeks,” according to a report in the Financial Times”

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” SHANGHAI, Aug.13, 2012 /PRNewswire-Asia/ — Focus Media Holding Limited (“Focus Media” or the “Company”) (FMCN) today announced that its Board of Directors has received a preliminary non-binding proposal letter, dated August 12, 2012, from affiliates of FountainVest Partners, The Carlyle Group, CITIC Capital Partners, CDH Investments and China Everbright Limited and Mr. Jason Nanchun Jiang, Chairman of the Board and Chief Executive Officer of Focus Media, and his affiliates (together, the “Consortium Members”), that proposes a “going-private” transaction (the “Transaction”) for $27.00 in cash per American depositary share, or $5.40 in cash per ordinary share. ”

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“Julius Baer Group Ltd., the Swiss money manager established in 1890, agreed to pay about 860 million Swiss francs ($880 million) for Bank of America Corp. (BAC)’s Merrill Lynch wealth management business outside the U.S.

The cost of the transaction totals 1.47 billion francs, including 312 million francs of after-tax integration costs and incentives to retain Merrill bankers and 300 million francs to maintain regulatory capital, Zurich-based Julius Baer said today. Julius Baer shares fell the most in three months.”

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“National Oilwell Varco agreed on Thursday to buy Robbins & Myers, a maker of oil well drilling equipment, for about $2.5 billion, as deal-making in the energy sector continues unabated.

Under the terms of the deal, National Oilwell will pay $60 a share in cash, a 28 percent premium to Robbins & Myers’ closing price on Wednesday.”

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$BBY shareholders are smiling all the way to the bank this am…unless of course they bot in a while back. Better to get some of your money back rather than watch is slowly disappear.

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$TSM will join $INTC in investing money in $ASML. They bot  5% of the company for $1.4 billion…

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Rona would like to continue its business plan and capitalize on opportunities for themselves.

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$SHAW is up 72% in pre-market…a price not seen in the stock in four years.

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“Apple Inc. just bought a mobile security firm called AuthenTec for $356 million.

AuthenTec has filed an 8K announcing the news (.PDF).

In the filing it says “AuthenTec cannot comment on Apple’s intentions.”

AuthenTec most recently made news when it signed a big contract with Apple rival Samsung.”

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“HARTFORD, Conn., July 26, 2012 /PRNewswire/ — United Technologies Corp. (UTX) today announced that all remaining regulatory approvals related to the proposed acquisition of Goodrich Corporation (GR) have been obtained.

Today’s conclusion of the regulatory review by the U.S. Department of Justice and the European Commission clears the way for United Technologies to proceed with the proposed acquisition announced on Sept. 21, 2011. The acquisition is expected to close by the end of the week.”

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“Railroad operator Genesee & Wyoming Inc. (NYSE: GWR) announced this morning that it would acquire RailAmerica Inc. (NYSE: RA) for $27.50 per share in an all-cash deal worth about $1.39 billion. Genesee & Wyoming (GWI) will refinance existing debt and add about $2 billion in new debt to finance the deal. ”

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“After CNOOC Ltd. said early Monday it had agreed to pay more than $15 billion for Canada’s Nexen Inc., many people—even in the oil industry—are asking: Who is Nexen?

In fact, the company is a relatively big fish in the ocean of mostly smaller oil plays active in Canada’s west. Calgary-based, the international oil and gas producer has operations in Western Canada, the Gulf of Mexico, the North Sea and in offshore West Africa. Nexen ranks ninth on the list of largest independent Canadian oil and gas producers by market cap, before the deal was announced.”

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“State Street Corp. (STT), the third largest custody bank, has purchased Goldman Sachs Group Inc. (GS)’s hedge fund administration unit for $550 million in cash.

The deal makes State Street the largest servicer of hedge funds in the world with $877 billion under administration as of June 30, the Boston-based company said today in a statement.”

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“(Reuters) – GlaxoSmithKline is expected to announce a deal to buy Human Genome Sciences for about $2.8 billion as soon as Monday, ending a three-month hostile pursuit of the U.S. biotech company on friendly terms after sweetening its offer.”

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“Blackstone Group LP (BX) is teaming up with Mark Wilson, the former head of AIA Group Ltd. (1299), and other investors in a bid for ING Groep NV (INGA)’s Asian insurance business, said two people with knowledge of the matter.

The group, which includes reinsurer Swiss Re (SREN) Ltd., may make an offer of 5 billion euros to 6 billion euros ($7.35 billion) by July 16, the deadline for final bids, said one of the people, who asked not to be identified because the process is private. ING agreed to divest its insurance and asset management operations before the end of 2013 as a condition of receiving state aid.”

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“Campbell Soup Co. (CPB), world’s largest soupmaker, agreed to buy Bolthouse Farms for about $1.55 billion in cash to bolster its juice business.

Bolthouse had sales of $689 million and earnings before interest and taxes of $79 million in its fiscal year ended March 31, Camden, New Jersey-based Campbell said today in a statement. Bakersfield, California-based Bolthouse is being bought from private-equity fund Madison Dearborn Partners LLC.”

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“WellPoint Inc. (WLP), the second-biggest U.S. health plan, agreed to buy Amerigroup Corp. (AGP) for $4.9 billion in cash to expand in managed care for patients in the Medicare and Medicaid programs.

Amerigroup stockholders will receive $92 a share, the companies said in a statement today. The price is 43 percent above the closing level of Amerigroup in New York trading on July 6. Indianapolis-based WellPoint rose 2.1 percent to $61.18 at 7:23 a.m. New York time.”

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