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.

Talk about a winter of discontent… Over the past seven weeks, we’ve seen quite possibly one of the best examples of stock market fear in history.

In the past few years, a strange new “defensive” asset has appeared in the market.

Investors use the “defensive” label to describe businesses that enjoy steady demand for their products – like food, cigarettes and electric utilities.

When Pfizer Inc. (PFE) unveiled a $68 billion buyout offer for U.S. rival Wyeth (WYE) last week, it sparked hopes that the deal might re-ignite the moribund merger market. But when the Wall Street dealmakers take a closer look, those flames will likely be doused in cold water.

Is Washington replacing New York – and more specifically, Wall Street – as the city that drives America?

It wasn’t too long ago that a bad bank just meant one with long lines, rude tellers and high fees. But times are changing and the definition today is completely different.

The unemployment picture took on an even more ominous tone this week as new layoffs emphatically underscored a worsening global economy.  Now, fear is rising that the losses represent a major restructuring in the business world and that some, if not most, of the jobs are gone forever.

Pfizer Buys Wyeth for $68 Billion; Existing Homes Sales Rose 6.5%; McDonald’s Posts 5.8% Sales Growth; Freeport McMoran Lowers Sales Targets; Lincoln National Corp Cutting Staff 5%; GM Cuts More Jobs, Production; Petrobras to Cut Costs by $4 Billion; Halliburton Settles Bribery Investigation

President Barack Obama’s $825 billion stimulus plan heads to the floor of the House of Representatives this week, with House Minority Leader John A. Boehner, R-Ohio, saying many in his party will vote against the package unless significant changes are made.