BusinessWeek/Bloomberg is running a piece this morning purportedly recounting Pfizer acquires Merck rumors (in part). Sooner pigs should fly. It isn't worth even a moment's serious consideration for millions of reasons, but here are two world-beaters: (i) Mr. Read was after the financial engineering of tax inversion -- a Merck deal wouldn't EVER offer that, and (ii) the antitrust issues of No. 2 buying No. 5 are overwhelming. But it allows me to display some graphical proclivities -- so see the parody at right. That's all this story is about, this morning -- a bit of frolic in Photoshop. Fun parody graphics. More (hopefully clever graphics) later, time permitting. Here's the bit -- great for grins:
. . . .It’s unclear how far the examinations of Merck and Bristol-Myers went, or if they were just war-gaming by the company’s deals team, the two former Pfizer executives said. Steve Cragle, a spokesman for Whitehouse Station, New Jersey-based Merck and Laura Hortas, a spokeswoman for New York-based Bristol-Myers, declined to comment.
Neither company, though, offers what AstraZeneca did -- a chance to legally relocate to the U.K. to take advantage of that country’s lower tax rate, or to deploy a huge chest of cash stuck overseas and out of the reach of U.S. tax law. . . .
Seriously? Get a grip. Go out and have an adventure today -- and be excellent to one another!
UPDATED: One more -- for grins:
2 comments:
Not to give any credence to the rumor piece but there is a German Merck that is oft confused/ used interchangeably with Whitehouse Merck. If a tax inversion is the driving reason, German Merck could make sense, on some level.
Great one! I love it!
Right you are about KGgA!
However -- that one is... Too small by half!
You see Pfizer needs a company as target where more than 20 per cent of target's shareholders own the resulting merged entity -- under US Tax rules for qualifying inversions.
That means they need a very big target -- something at least 2/3rds Pfizer's size....
So -- ain't gonna happen! But I love the level of engagement here!
Do stop back!
Namaste
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