As energy prices continue to dominate the headlines, several large players have made aggressive bets on energy continuing to provide attractive long term gains. ConocoPhillips recently agreed to buy Burlington Resources, a major independent producer of natural gas...

The Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002 (SOX) clearly is having a profound impact on the way corporate America is governed and managed. Developed with good intent "“ to elevate governance standards in the wake of flawed practices at public companies such as Enron, WorldCom, and Tyco "“ SOX has been assailed for going too far. That's been especially true for small public companies and those considering IPOs. The Act's section 404 has been particularly notorious, requiring independent audits, written sign-off on the validity of financial results by top officers, and much more.

The dust has finally begun to settle following Refco Inc.’s stunning collapse in October. Man Financial, the brokerage arm of Man Group PLC, acquired Refco LLC’s assets in an auction, following the disclosure its CEO hid...

There's good news on the corporate venture front. Strategic investment has stabilized after plummeting from the lofty peak it reached in 2000. Now, with earnings under control, many corporations are turning outward, eager to drive growth through strategic investments. So with corporate venture money back on the table and likely to increase over the next few years, the question for emerging technology companies naturally becomes this: Is it time to take a fresh look at adding strategic investment to your financing strategy?

The buyout market has continued its red hot pace, with the $50.5 billion of sponsor backed LBOs completed in Q3 2005 blowing away the next highest quarter, the $46 billion completed in Q4 2004. The 191 deals completed represents a slight decline from...