Boston, MA 02/13/2014 (wallstreetpr) – Yahoo! Inc (NASDAQ:YHOO) is pumping in money to bolster its portfolio and improve its content. Many companies venture into this route to ward off smaller competitors but Yahoo will continue to use the products. It has announced the acquisition of Wander for upwards of $10 million. Wander has developed a diary apps known as ‘Days’ that allows for sharing of images and photos and it appears that Yahoo will be trying to integrate this apps along with its other offerings. The company’s CEO Marissa Mayer has always maintained that the key to attracting users is by providing relevant and local content.
Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK) is looking for buyers for its consumer brands as it seeks to consolidate its pharmaceutical business. It expects to rake in at least $10 billion through the sale of its portfolio of consumer brands. Merck tried to swap te business with Novartis AG (ADR) (NYSE:NVS) but the talks fizzled out and now it is exploring outright sale. Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK) has received preliminary bids and our sources tell us that the final bids are expected by next moth end. Merck is also moving very fast for developing cancer immunotherapy drugs. It has tied up with a host of companies like Amgen Inc (NASDAQ:AMGN), Incyte Corp (NASDAQ:INCY) as well as Pfizer Inc (NYSE:PFE) in a bid to outrun the competition.
JPMorgan Chase & Co. (NYSE:JPM) is yet to find a satisfactory exit from the mortgage issues plaguing the company. Though it has paid billions of dollars as penalties and reached out of court settlements, there are many who feel that the company has been left off too easily. A Wall Street watch group is suing even the $13 billion settlement with the Justice Department. Several financial institutions have been accused of mis-selling mortgage loans to refinancers during the 2008 financial crises. The Federal government had initiated legal action to recover the losses and JPMorgan Chase & Co. (NYSE:JPM) has been able to reach settlement in several cases as it desperately tries to bury its past.
