11.   Merger waves tend to arrive when economies are buoyant and firms have plenty of money to spend -- either their own or that of willing lenders.

12.   Now the merger wave is spreading into companies that manufacture the complex electronic gear that actually allows sophisticated communications networks to function.

13.   Overlooked amid the merger waves are higher share prices for pharmaceutical companies and chemical makers in Switzerland, automobiles in France and even textile makers in Austria.

14.   The growing conviction by corporations worldwide that bigger is better in the global marketplace has generated a merger wave that has dwarfed anything that has preceded it.

15.   The lucrative Southeast and Midwest all but escaped the merger wave this year.

16.   The merger wave has been fueled by the sky high values of Internet stocks, which are used as currency in many of the deals.

17.   The next big merger wave will be between virtual companies and real ones.

18.   The Pentagon has played midwife to the merger wave.

19.   The radio merger wave started by deregulation two years ago has reached a new crest.

20.   This merger wave was brought on by global overcapacity for aluminum and prices that have plunged to five-year lows.