Most investors were not expecting good news. That is why shares of Human Genome Sciences (NASDAQ:HGSI) are soaring after the company released its latest Phase III results.

It’s bold. It’s ambitious. And if it works, it should make America a healthier nation. Reform plans are a dime a dozen in Washington – many of which get stuck in political gridlock without ever reaching a satisfactory resolution. And healthcare reform is no different, with multiple presidents trying – and failing – to pass a plan that would see every American covered by healthcare insurance.

I promise. Alexander Green and I are not in cahoots about the coming boom in corporate takeovers… We both researched the possibility separately. Unprompted, I might add. And yet, armed with different evidence, we arrived at the same conclusion. If you ask me, such a convergence of analysis in a narrow space of time shouldn’t be ignored. So today, let’s move on from why a takeover boom is imminent and focus exclusively on three takeover targets you can profit from…

Despite efforts by the Treasury Department and the Federal Reserve to thaw the credit markets, normal lending remains hamstrung. This is a both a significant problem and an enormous opportunity.

While swine flu is spreading and certainly has potential to become a very serious situation (as does any flu outbreak) if it continues, comparatively speaking, that isn’t the case at the moment.

They’re alluringly cheap and potentially risky. Investors are continually lured by the huge potential gains with penny stocks. We’ve identified the best—and safest—investments we could find to give you the biggest bang for your buck.

Given the gut-wrenching financial turmoil of the last year, many investors are looking for more secure ways of investing.

Floyd Brown says one way of doing this is to rethink the “boring” image of dividend-paying stocks. These stocks can offer great returns and a steady cash flow.

Floyd says there are five pharmaceutical companies offering outstanding dividend yields in a growing sector. And with most negative sentiment already priced into the stocks, downside risk is limited…

Investing in biotech stocks can be incredibly rewarding, financially and personally, says Marc Lichtenfeld writing in Investment U. However, timing is crucial to success. Here, Marc walks investors through the three phases of the drug development process…

It wasn’t long ago that we published several articles urging investors into the neglected biotech industry. Now Sara Nunnally over at Taipan Publishing says Central and Eastern Europe is a hot region for the sector right now. Big pharma is also looking to enter the rapidly growing market for generic drugs. And a popular way to establish a foothold in the region is through acquisitions of local firms.

There has been a lot of strong recommendations around biotech lately on Contrarian Profits.

Phase 1 Investor editor Rob Fannon recently wrote that biotech was one of the few market sectors to show positive returns as  many other stocks were getting hammered. He sees great values in the sector.

There’s a good reason for this strength. A struggling economy won’t hurt biotech and medical as much as, say, an automaker, retailer, or restaurant chain… And biotech is one of the few industries showing solid sales growth.