# Monday, October 01, 2007
Bioenvision Inc. (NDAQ:BIVN) may have trouble pushing through its proposed merger with Genzyme after a major shareholder reiterated its intentions to vote against it in the company's upcoming annual meeting. Shareholders are divided on the issue that promises to be a close call on October 14th.

SCO, which owns 13.1% of Biovision, called the $5.60 offer extremely inadequate and the result of a poorly managed and ill-timed sale process. The activist hedge fund believes that the company should instead work on behalf of shareholders to maximize value over the near term through alternative strategies.

"We remain highly confident that clofarabine will be approved in the European Union for the treatment of adult AML in 2008," said SCO in a letter to the board. "We believe that Bioenvision will be well positioned, within a 3 to 6 month timeframe, to engage an independent investment bank to do a well-run process to market the company to possible acquirors, and that there will be considerable interest in clorfarabine. We believe that this type of processs could lead to an offer price well in excess of the current offer price, leading to a success for all common shareholders including Genzyme."

SCO also announced that it intends to propose a new slate of directors for the next annual shareholders meeting that would work to this end and unlock value for common shareholders. Combined, these factors make BIVN a stock worth watching!

Related Companies
BioCryst Pharma (BCRX)
Peregrine Pharma (PPHM)
Coley Pharma (COLY)

Monday, October 01, 2007 4:43:08 PM UTC  #     |  Trackback
Microsoft Corporation (NDAQ:MSFT) and Google Inc. (NDAQ:GOOG) have reportedly offered to invest anywhere between $300 million and $500 million for a 5% stake in the social networking giant Facebook. Many investors are carefully watching this deal as it could open the door to many opportunities.

First, there is speculation that the social networking website will use some of the money to build out its own advertising platform that could help boost its somewhat lackluster $150 million per year in revenues. Specifically, the company may use the cash infusion to buy a behavioral advertising company.

Many also insist that Facebook may have an interest in going public. After all, with its own stock it would be able to quickly make acquisitions and ramp up its operations. Obviously, any initial offering in this sector would be a hot IPO that is definitely worth watching closely.

In the end, Facebook will no longer have the time to invent new addons and services for its company. It will likely be forced to hire new engineers or acquire companies with products to fill their void to maintain strong growth. However, it is still uncertain as to whether the company will remain private, pursue a buyout or go public. Combined, these factors make Facebook and other players like MSFT and GOOG stocks worth watching!

Related Companies
International Business Machines (IBM)
Sun Microsystems (JAVA)
Cisco Systems (CSCO)
Monday, October 01, 2007 2:25:12 PM UTC  #     |  Trackback
# Friday, September 28, 2007
Though unconfirmed, the New York Times is reporting that famous investor Warren Buffett of Berkshire Hathaway Inc. (NYSE: BRK.A) is considering buying as much as 20% of the troubled financial firm Bear Sterns Companies Inc. (NYSE: BSC).

Bear Sterns recently reported a 60% drop in third-quarter profit due to terrible loses from its mortgage trading department. The collapse of two of Bear Sterns hedge funds also cost the firm more than $200 million as well as seriously tarnished its reputation.

Bear Sterns has been attracting a good deal of outside interest recently as its shares were trading near book value. The article reported that:

"Mr. Buffett, in particular, reached out to [Bear Sterns CEO] Mr. Cayne about a month ago...when the stock was approaching its one-year low of $100. While he is not known to be close friends with Mr. Cayne, Mr. Buffett might find more in common with the Bear Stearns boss than other Wall Street chief executives. Both in their mid-70s, they hail from the Midwest and are passionate bridge players."

Bank of America (NYSE: BAC) and Wachovia (NYSE: WB) are also supposedly interested in pursuing a possible deal with Bear Sterns, though CEO James Cayne has been known to demand a premium of as much as 40% from outside investors.

Regardless of what happens, with Warren Buffett's name in the mix, BSC is definitely as stock worth watching!

Related Companies
Morgan Stanley (MS)
Goldman Sachs Group, Inc. (GS)

Friday, September 28, 2007 5:17:03 PM UTC  #     |  Trackback