Watch for a Different Kind of Merger in 2008

Editor's note: Falling home prices and subsequent defaults on mortgage-backed securities led to a credit and liquidity crisis that's seized up financial markets since mid-2007, and it's only getting messier in 2008. This is the fifth installment in an occasional series about how the tumult in the credit markets will affect the economy and the markets throughout the year.

Earlier stories looked at mortgage lenders, banks, brokerages and ratings agencies.

Finally, a big tech merger deal has come along to break the glum M&A mold on Wall Street.

Until news broke Wednesday morning that Oracle(ORCL Quote) will buy BEA Systems(BEAS Quote) for $8.5 billion, none of the deals or capital infusions announced thus far this year produced much of a boost for the target company's stock price or for the stock market as a whole. ...