Mutual funds continue to be the most cost-effective means of investing.
I've always thought that Merrill had a lot of fat to trim. This is a fulfillment of those promises they made.
If the Europeans do buy, it won't be now. A lot of the time they prefer to wait until the coast is clear instead of bottom tick the market.
Schwab is clearly the more likely to survive.
If consummated, the deal would fit better than other deals that have been proposed.
Merrill Lynch is still quite profitable in a very tough year.
