With the recent spike in Merger activity, perhaps its time to
look more closely at the Mergers & Acquisition issues which
affect investors. Consider these 5 issues when mulling over a
potential Mergers or Acquisitions:  · Why? What are the
strategic advantages to the combination? · What Sector? Some
areas have a good merger history (Oil, Banks), while others
(Tech, Retail) are notably poor; · “Paper or Plastic?” How is
the acquisition being paid for? Cash, Debt or Paper? ·
Valuation: What metrics are valuing the purchase? Are they
reasonable? · Management: Do they have the requisite skill set
to successfully integrate two disparate entities?  These
questions should help investors make an intelligent appraisal
regarding potential acquirors or targets. Let’s do an a quick
look at various reasons for mergers, and whether they tend to be
successful or not:  Operating Business Purchases Warren Buffett
and Berkshire Hathaway buy businesses. Sometimes they complement
the rest of their holdings (GEICO, American RE) s