The weekend’s business news was dominated by the word that AT&T has agreed to buy Time Warner for $85.4 billion in the biggest yet in a series of telecomm mergers – NYTimes and Bloomberg
So much going on with a deal that size, including the regulatory scrutiny it will face [NYTimes], how the deal came together [WSJ], who were the players that helped get it done [NYTimes], how AT&T plans to pay for it [NYTimes], what it tells us about how “corporate titans” see the economic future [NYTimes], how AT&T views the deal’s impact on the internet as a whole [Bloomberg], and what form opposition to the merger is already taking – NYTimes and WSJ
AT&T isn’t the only one pulling out its wallet of late. Chinese dealmakers have collectively dropped more than $200 billion on a global buying spree in a range of industries in past months—largely focusing on Europe – Bloomberg
In quieter merger news (only $4 billion), TD Ameritrade has announced plans to buy Scottrade Financial in a deal between two retail brokerage firms – WSJ and Bloomberg
According to recent Moody’s disclosures, the DOJ is apparently close to suing the ratings agency over its role in the 2008 financial crisis and aftermath – Law360
For the next global economic shot-in-the-arm, many investors and policy makers are suggesting that government spending (and not just central bank policy) is the essential ingredient – WSJ
Lynn Tilton’s battle against the SEC takes center stage (in one of the SEC’s own courts) today over the agency’s charges that Tilton and her firm overcharged investors by more than $200 million – Law360
And MetLife’s SIFI battle is before the D.C. Circuit today as well – Law360
For most of us who missed the original Hamilton phenomenon on Broadway, this behind-the-scenes special is about as close as we’ll get to that magic. This is good stuff – PBS