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Although Barclays PLC is in talks to acquire Dutch bank ABN AMRO Holding N.V., Citigroup Inc. is c onsidering a hostile takeover. The Barclays acquisition would be the largest bank deal in history, with ABN AMRO valued at $80 billion.

Blackstone Group's initial public offering statement to the Securities and Exchange Commission was a much anticipated event on Wall Street. The disclosure that its earnings over the past five years exceeded $6 billion, was significant for a private-equity fund which generally operates in relative obscurity.

Investment firm Dubai Aerospace Enterprise is interested in acquiring aircraft maintenance companies Landmark Aviation and Standard Aero Holdings Inc. from U.S. firm Carlyle Group. The Dubai company plans to take measures to address U.S. security concerns.

The mystique of the life and times of Lazard Freres & Company L.L.C. of the United States has been revealed in 'The Last Tycoons' by William D. Cohan a former executive banker. The inside revelations are due in bookstores by April 17th. Reactions to preliminary galleys have jolted the banking firm and Wall Street.

In an effort to combat financial losses by its Chrysler division , DaimlerChrysler is exploring various possibilities including partnerships. The large automobile manufacturer has announced major restructuring involving a plant closure, production cuts, and layoffs in North America.

Siemens AG of Germany is to acquire UGS Corp. of the United States for $3.5 billion. The acquisition is part of a restructuring for the German electronics company. Siemens AG posted $1.2 billion in revenue and $241 million in operating profit for 2005.

Consolidation talks are underway in the airline industry, with the proposed merger of UAL Corp. with Continental Airlines Inc., and the proposed acquisition of Midwest Air Group Inc. by AirTran Holdings Inc.

EMI Group PLC of the United Kingdom is about to be acquired by Permira Advisors also of the United Kingdom. The music recording giant is the the third largest in the world by market share.

Novartis AG of Switzerland is in talks to divest subsidiary Gerber Products Co. of the United States to Nestle S.A. also of Switzerland. The approximate valuation of the baby foods manufacturer is $3 billion.

PNC Financial Services Group Inc. of the United States is to purchase Mercantile Bankshares Corp. for $6 billion. The deal will grow PNC Financial Services Group Inc.'s market across the Atlantic seaboard. Share price offer is $47.24 per share.

Ipsco Steel Inc. of Canada is to purchase NS Group Inc. of the United States for $1.46 billion. The new company will focus on growth in the natural gas and petroleum industries. The share purchase price for the American steel tube maker was $66 per share.

Companhia Vale do Rio Doce S.A. of Brazil bid $17.6 billion to acquire Inco Ltd. of Canada. Developing countries are beginning to pay a larger role in major acquisitions in Europe and the United States. There is a bidding war for Inco Ltd.

Hamilton Beach/Proctor-Silex Inc. of the United States is to announce a merger with Applica Inc. also of the United States. The household appliance company acquisiton is expected to lower annual costs by $40 to $50 million.

Consolidations and megamergers are a major trend in business this year. Companies are ripe with credit and increased commodity prices looking for global markets in foreign acquisitions. Acquisitions worth $110 billion were sealed since last Friday alone, in a banner year so far.

Englehard Corp. of the United States has accepted an acquisition offer by BASF AG of Germany for $5 billion. The German chemical company share purchase offer is $39 per share to Englehard shareholders.

NYSE Group Inc. of the United States is rounding out a $10.1 billion acquisition bid for Euronext N.V. of the Netherlands. A rival acquisition interest, Deutsche Borse AG of Germany, has not been successful in its bid to be acquired by the United States operator.

Thermo Electron Corp. of the United States is to acquire Fisher Scientific International Inc. also of the United States for $10.6 billion. Thermo Electron Corp. is to offer two shares at a premium of seven percent in an all-stock deal.

Wachovia Corp. of the United States is to purchase Golden West Financial Corp. also of the United States for $26 billion. The bank is paying $81.07 share purchase price for the mortgage bank company.

Constellation Brands Inc. of the United States is to acquire Vincor International Inc. of Canada for approximately $1.27 billion ($1.09 billion United States). Shareprice for purchase of the winery is $36.50 per share.

Compagnie Financiere Alcatel of France and Lucent Technologies Inc. of the United States are in merger talks. Talks between the telecommunications giants are being spurred by greater competition from China.

AT&T Inc. of the United States is to purchase BellSouth Corp. also of the United States, assuming $22 billion in debt. The acquisition will make AT&T Corp. the largest telecommunications operator in the world, with a market capitalization of approximately $170 billion.

Companies from emerging markets, the Middle East and Asia, with huge financial resources are acquiring the jewels of European and American business in a trend the could alter the worldwide economic power balance in some industries. This year in the European Union alone, $9.3 billion in deals with companies from emerging markets have been announced.

Toshiba Corp. of Japan is to finalize acquisition of Westinghouse Electric Co. of the United States for $5.4 billion. Growing demand is expected for power utilities because of volatile pricing, environmental and cost concerns in other energy industries. The nuclear power concern is the subsidiary of British Nuclear Fuels PLC.

Boston Scientific Corp. of the United States is to purchase Guidant Corp. also of the United States for $27 billion. The medical equipment conglomerate is to become the leading manufacturer of cardiac devices. Boston Scientific Corp.'s winning bid of $80 per share beat out rival Johnson and Johnson's bid of $71 per share.

The takeover battle for Guidant Corp. of the United States is heating up with Boston Scientific Corp. also of the United States, offering $27 billion. The medical equipment giant offered $80 per share or $9 per share ($3 billion) greater than Johnson & Johnson also of the United States.

Tommy Hilfiger Corp. of the United States is in final negotiations to be acquired by Apax Partners for greater than $1.5 billion or between $16.50 and $17 a share. The negotiations are not over and the two companies are still haggling over price. Mr. Hilfiger the companies founder will have a continuing role with the company.

Alberson's Inc. of the United States, close to a $9.6 billion buyout saw talks collapse last night and several potential buyers terminated all negotiations. The supermarkets shares were down more than three percent at the news and shareprice continued to fluctuate in today's trading.

Boston Scientific Corp. of the United States has bid $25 billion for Guidant Corp. also of the United States, threatening to cause a bidding war with Johnson & Johnson who previously had a lower-price acquisition deal with Guidant Corp. The medical equipment manufacturer Boston Scientific Corp. has a market valuation of $22.4 billion.

International mergers and acquisitions are soaring due to low worldwide interest rates and excess corporate revenue. Deal-making has not been this active since the 1990's Internet craze. Mergers and acquistions revenue totals are up to $2.3 trillion for the year to date.

Johson & Johnson of the United States is threatening to cancel an acquisition agreement with Guidant Corp. also of the United States if terms can't be renegotiated. Guidant Corp., the medical equipment company, is having problems with a product recall on defibrillators that could effect the longterm financial outlook of the company. The deal is valued at $25.4 billion.

Verenigde Nederlands Uitgeversbedrijven B.V. of the Netherlands is considering management strategies to win shareholder support for the acquisition of IMS Health Inc. Verenigde Nederlands Uitgeversbedrijven B.V. is the parent company of Nielsen television-ratings service.

eBay Inc. of the United States is in negotiations to acquire Skype Technologies S.A. of Luxembourg for $2 billion to $3 billion. The online auction house is growing to include the internet telephony provider. eBay Inc. is valued at $53 billion and the company's stock price for the year is down by 33 percent.

Nextel Partners Inc. of the United States is asking to be acquired by Sprint Nextel Corp. of the United States. Sprint Nextel Corp. already owns a 31 percent stake in the telecommunications company, however they are not likely to agree on a valuation price, highlighting the role of the appraiser in valuation.

Ford Motor Co. of the United States is divesting the Hertz Corp. of the United States and the winning bid is likely to be the Clayton Dubilier group of investment firms. The acquisition is valued at approximately $5.5 billion to $6 billion.

French food and beverage manufacturer Danone S.A. is hoping to fend off a potential bid from U.S.-based PepsiCo Inc. It is thought that such a bid would face opposition from the French government as well as Danone's management. An additional obstacle facing PepsiCo is said to be Danone's bylaw requiring that any company or individual wishing to control more than 12% of its voting rights, must be in possession of at least 66% of Danone shares.

Global acquisitions and mergers are soaring with deals by corporations and investors totaling $665.9 billion or 53 percent more than this period of a year ago. In the United States acquisitions are up by 73 percent compared with this period of a year ago. Private-equity firms are responsible for 17 percent of merger and acquisition activity worldwide, an increase from 11 percent last year.

China National Offshore Oil Corp., a state-owned petroleum company has prepared a bid to acquire Unocal Corp. of the United States. Acquisition concerns remain about United States energy policy and the nature of a state-run firm acquiring a private equity company.

Evercore Partners Inc. of the United States is planning an initial public offering. The financial-advisory boutique is a small organization that is nine years old, specializing in advice on mergers and restructuring and is also an investment house.

Some large acquisitions and mergers from the 1990's with overblown talk of being 'ideal' are currently breaking up, particularly the Morgan Stanley Group Inc. and Dean, Witter Discover & Co., as well as Viacom Inc. and CBS Corp. Merger talk public relations is becoming more muted and less overblown.

Lazard Brothers & Company Ltd. of the United Kingdom is launching an $854 million initial public offering, ending private control of the investment bank. The equity value of Lazard Brothers & Company Ltd. is approximately $2.5 billion.

Diageo PLC of the United Kingdom is forming a consortium including Constellation Brands Inc., Brown-Forman Corp. and two private-equity funds to launch a rival bid for Allied Domecq PLC of the United Kingdom. Allied Domecq PLC, the alchololic beverages company, agreed to be acquired by Pernod Ricard S.A. of France for about $14.2 billion last month.

Constellation Brands Inc. and Brown-Forman Corp. and other companies have formed a consortium and are considering a rival bid for Allied Domecq PLC. Currently, the alcoholic beverage company Allied Domecq PLC has agreed to be acquired by Pernod Ricard S.A.

New York Stock Exchange Inc. of the United States is to acquire Archipelago Holdings Inc. The new publicly traded corporation will be called NYSE Group Inc. Archipelago Holdings Inc. shares rose 11 percent after the announcement the acquisition was imminent.

Royal Dutch Shell Group is divesting InterGen N.V. to American International Group Inc. and Ontario Teachers' Pension Plan for $1.75 billion. The deal highlights two trends in business, petroleum companies divesting of noncore assets to concentrate on developing new oil fields with payouts to investors and the emergence of private equity companies as big market players.

Bruce Wasserstein of Lazard's is planning an initial public offering for the investment bank that could raise approximately $945 million. The success of the stock float could give Mr. Wasserstein a clear management win within the company.

The Carlyle Group of the United States has raised $7.85 billion for United States equity buy-outs and an additional $2.2 billion for European investments. Also the investment bank will be able to borrow approximately $45 billion against the original $10 billion.