Mega Mergers That
Might Be on the Way

• 

  AP

  New Names Coming?

  In a tough economy, even seemingly unassailable big names aren't immune from takeover bids. Recession can spawn merger mania, and some very large players may soon find themselves under new management. While we, the consumer may not notice the difference, there's always the chance that we'll find ourselves contending with new corporate names and logos, for a new era.
  
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  First Up: Ford bought by ...?

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• VW/Ford

  AP

  Fordswagen?

  Vulnerable: Ford
  Potential Buyer: Volkswagen
  
  Inside Story: Ford's stock is low, and high gas prices hurt sales of its most-successful products, trucks and SUVs. VW, on the other hand, expects to sell 8 million vehicles this year, and says it can triple US sales in 10 years.
  
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  Next: Wendy's bought by ...?

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• McDonald's/Burger King/Wendy's

  AP

  McWendy's?

  Vulnerable: Wendy's
  Potential Buyer: McDonald's or Burger King
  
  Inside Story: Wendy's is doing fine, but that may not be enough in the hugely-competitive fast food market, where rising food prices may dig into its modest profits. Longtime rivals could be in a position to gobble a struggling Wendy's up.
  
  Next: Sears bought by ...?

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• Wal-Mart/Sears

  AP

  Sears-Mart?

  Vulnerable: Sears Holdings
  Potential Buyer: Wal-Mart
  
  Inside Story: Sears' 2005 merger with K-Mart was disastrous, promoting falling earnings and squandering cash. If stock falls much more, a buyout by relatively wealthy Wal-Mart (or Target) would consolidate the battle for America's retail dollar.
  
  Next: AMD bought by ...?

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• Nvidia/AMD

  Nvidia

  Nvidiamd?

  Vulnerable: Advanced Micro Devices
  Potential Buyer: Nvidia
  
  Inside Story: Poor decision-making and bad acquisitions keep AMD trailing its only significant rival in the server/PC computer chip market, Intel. Graphics chip company Nvidia, by acquiring AMD, could become large enough to challenge their own rival, Intel.
  
  Next: Washington Mutual bought by ...?

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• Wells Fargo/Washington Mutual

  AP

  Wells Wamu?

  Vulnerable: Washington Mutual
  Potential Buyer: Wells Fargo
  
  Inside Story: The mortgage crisis has hit financial firm WaMu hard, and the worst may be yet to come. Wells Fargo, unlike most large banks, has holdings that are resistant to the housing downturn, and may come to the rescue.
  
  Next: Citigroup bought by ...?

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• JP Morgan Chase/Citigroup

  AP

  JP Morgan Citi?

  Vulnerable: Citigroup
  Potential Buyer: JP Morgan Chase
  
  Inside Story: Some say Citigroup is too big to fail. While outright collapse is unlikely, falling shares may make it vulnerable to being bought-out by a better-managed money center. JP Morgan Chase may well be that buyer.
  
  Next: Comcast bought by ...?

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• Time Warner Cable/Charter

  AP

  Time Warner Charter?

  Vulnerable: Charter Communications
  Potential Buyer: Time Warner Cable
  
  Inside Story: Plummeting stock and a mountain of debt make Charter a weak player indeed in the telecom and cable sector. Time Warner Cable is in the process of breaking from the parent corporation, and may have the chance to raise purchase capital.
  
  Next: E*Trade bought by ...?

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• Charles Schwab/Ameritrade/E*Trade Financial

  AP

  Schwab*Trade?

  Vulnerable: E*Trade
  Potential Buyer: Charles Schwab, Ameritrade
  
  Inside Story: E*Trade's discount brokerage business is healthy, but weighed down by its mortgage-related holdings. A sale to healther companies Schwab or TDAmeritrade could happen if the housing market goes further south.
  
  Next: Verizon bought by ...?

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• Verizon & Qwest

  AP

  Verizoqwest?

  Vulnerable: Qwest
  Potential Buyer: Verizon
  
  Inside Story: Qwest is by far the weakest of the independent phone companies created by the break-up of Ma Bell in 1984, has lost half its stock value in the last year, and has no cellular or internet operation of its own. Verizon has both, and its stock is stable.
  
  Next: Boston Scientific bought by ...?

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• Johnson & Johnson/Bostone Scientific

  AP

  Johnson & Boston?

  Vulnerable: Boston Scientific
  Potential Buyer: Johnson & Johnson
  
  Inside Story: Boston Scientific ruined itself purchasing medical device company Guidant, following a bidding war with Johnson & Johnson. Now they may be forced to sell Guidant back to their rival, or, in a worst-case scenario, be bought out entirely themselves.
  
  Next: Level 3 bought by ...?

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• Akamai/Level(3)

  AP

  Akalevel(3)?

  Vulnerable: Level 3
  Potential Buyer: Akamai
  
  Inside Story: Level 3 has a great broadband network and huge debt. Akamai is profitable and could benefit from a network to promote the content it provides. A merger could be a perfect match for both.
  
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