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Risk-Takers Fear Dead Deals

Merger arbitragers are selling some of their holdings to offset or stem losses or because of concerns about pending deals.

Bet for Uneven Seas: Try Oil

Crude-oil prices could stay relatively high even as the credit and stock markets swoon, traders say, as tight supply could pull oil back up by year's end.

Will Distressed Sellers Turn to Warren Buffett?

With the subprime shakeout forcing the end of easy money and the distressed sale of assets, Warren Buffett may be one of the last buyers standing. Some speculate Berkshire could be a buyer for parts of Countrywide, whose shares have been hard hit.

Insurers' Stocks Look Cheap to Some

Insurance stocks have been hit hard by mortgage-market turmoil, creating buying opportunities. Some closed-end funds and ETFs also look undervalued.

Bond Insurers See Ill Winds Batter Shares

Investors dropped shares of the largest insurers as the bond-market mess grew this summer, and some analysts say they may have been too hasty.

Enough Punishment for Hedge King?

When the markets are serving up the hedge-fund implosion du jour, being the world's biggest publicly traded hedge-fund company can be painful. But a close look at Man Group reveals a company that has significant long-term earnings power.

Countrywide Continues Slide

Countrywide's stock price continues to slide, as investors and analysts fear the unknown about the extent of problems for the nation's largest home-mortgage lender.

Spinoffs That Flew Badly May Rise Again

The current crop of corporate spinoffs has been beaten up even more than usual, with investors valuing safety above potential returns. And that has created some bargains.

Troop-Truck Supplier Confronts Battles

Force Protection was the first major beneficiary of one of the Pentagon's biggest Iraq war spending sprees, but heightened competition and share-price volatility should make investors cautious about betting on the company.

A Fight Over $24 Billion in Financing

A big battle looms over the $24 billion required for KKR to take over First Data as banks and their clients at private-equity firms lock horns over financing.