11.   Drugs were boosted by takeover speculation, spurred by merger negotiations between SmithKline and American Home Products Corp.

12.   Executives involved in the merger negotiations said administrative staff would be cut back to reduce overlapping back office functions.

13.   Even if EchoStar does not win control of Hughes, its offer could at least delay merger negotiations between Hughes and News Corp.

14.   Executives said the two did not participate in the merger negotiations.

15.   Goldman, in turn, recommended that management handle early merger negotiations, but a group of directors be designated to complete the deal.

16.   He and other executives are in merger negotiations with DuPont, a much larger company with more traditional ways.

17.   In his message to employees Monday, Greenwald also appeared to suggest that the USAir talks might not be the last merger negotiations for UAL.

18.   It said Putterman told clients more about merger negotiations between the two companies than he included in his written research reports.

19.   Justice Department officials have refused to comment on specifics of the merger negotiations.

20.   Larsen, who declined to talk about the specifics of any recent merger negotiations, is sanguine about what lies ahead.