NEW YORK (TheStreet) -- Twice in October, bankers, investors and bleary-eyed journalists came into their offices wondering if Merger Monday was back.
It all started on Oct. 16, when during a Patriots-Cowboys Sunday showdown, Kinder Morgan (KMI) said it was buying El Paso (EP) for $21.1 billion in a cash and stock deal.
It was the second-largest takeover of the year after AT&T's (T) now challenged $39 billion purchase of T-Mobile in March. Not to be outdone, before the market open that Monday, Norwegian oil giant Statoil (STO) said it was buying Brigham Exploration (BEXP) for $4.4 billion in an all-cash deal valuing the company at $36.50 a share.
The deals came as a surprise. Banks were beginning to report that their investment banking divisions had some of their worst earnings since the crisis in the quarter ended in September -- Europe's sovereign debt and banking system added an even darker pall over dealmaking.
At first glance, the merger flurry signaled that energy companies were pouncing on opportunistic takeover prices. We called the deals an energy M&A boom. Then on Monday, Oct 24, Oracle (ORCL), Cigna (CI), J.M. Smucker (SJM) and Mattel (MAT) announced billions more worth of takeovers. Without a common theme, we decided Merger Monday was back. With what many say is a stock market ripe with low-priced companies ready to picked up by an aggressive player, TheStreet thought it was time to go back in time and find the all-time greats in Merger Monday history. According to data compiled by Bloomberg, below are a list of the 10 biggest deals in Merger Monday history (we've counted weekends and Monday evenings). From our deals dig, it looks like Dow Jones Industrial Average components AT&T (T), Pfizer (PFE) and Bank of America (BAC) like to work on Mondays. The list also shows just how far gone we are from bumper dealmaking years. Click through for the deals.Select the service that is right for you!
COMPARE ALL SERVICESAction Alerts PLUS
TRY IT FREEJim Cramer and Stephanie Link actively manage a real portfolio and reveal their money management tactics while giving advanced notice before every trade.
Product Features:
- $2.5+ million portfolio
- Large-cap and dividend focus
- Intraday trade alerts from Cramer
- Weekly roundups
Dividend Stock Advisor
TRY IT FREENew! $49.95/yr
Jim Cramer's protege, David Peltier, identifies the best of breed dividend stocks that will pay a reliable AND significant income stream.
Product Features:
- Diversified model portfolio of dividend stocks
- Alerts when market news affect the portfolio
- Bi-weekly updates with exact steps to take - BUY, HOLD, SELL
Stocks Under $10
TRY IT FREEDavid Peltier, uncovers low dollar stocks with extraordinary upside potential that are flying under Wall Street's radar.
Product Features:
- Model portfolio
- Stocks trading below $10
- Intraday trade alerts
- Weekly roundups
Real Money
TRY IT FREE24/7 market commentary from Jim Cramer and 20+ veteran Wall Street gurus. Get access to the latest trading ideas on stocks, options, and ETFs as well as a real-time forum to see the pros exchanging their investment ideas.
Product Features:
- Jim Cramer + 20 Wall Street pros
- Intraday commentary & news
- Real-time trading forum
- Actionable trade ideas
Real Money Pro
TRY IT FREEAll of Real Money, plus 15 more of Wall Street's sharpest minds delivering actionable trading ideas, a comprehensive look at the market, and fundamental and technical analysis.
Product Features:
- Real Money + Doug Kass + 15 more Wall Street Pros
- Intraday commentary & news
- Ultra-actionable trading ideas
Options Profits
TRY IT FREEOur options trading pros provide daily market commentary and over 100 monthly option trading ideas and strategies to help you become a well-seasoned trader.
Product Features:
- 100+ monthly options trading ideas
- Actionable options commentary & news
- Real-time trading community
- Options TV
