Should everyone start wearing purple?
Coming across a Yahoo! (Nasdaq: YHOO) buyout rumor is becoming about as common as stumbling onto a bad Brandon Fraser movie.

I'm not complaining. If it can't strike an ad-outsourcing deal with Google (Nasdaq: GOOG), and Microsoft (Nasdaq: MSFT) is serious about having no interest in Yahoo!, then why shouldn't the company entertain any and all offers?

Some of them are outlandish. Others only make slightly more sense.

Either way, expect the revolving door of buyout buzz to continue. The moment that CEO Jerry Yang announced he would step down when the dot-com giant smokes out a new leader, it was a dinner bell not only for potential buyers, but for bored rumor starters as well.

In other words, while the CEO's away, the chatter will play.

Who knows if anything ever comes of this, but if Yahoo! is going to find a suitor, there is really no better time than now. Once a new CEO is named, investors may start believing that the company can turn its fortunes around on its own.

So really, Microsoft. What are you waiting for? If you want Yahoo!, make a move.

Briefly in the news
And now let's take a quick look at some of the other stories that shaped our week.

  • Detroit's automakers went back to petition their bailout cases before Congress. Thankfully, this time, they decided to drive over.
  • I guess we may be heading into more peaceful times, now that defense contractor juggernaut Lockheed Martin (NYSE: LMT) is awarded a contract worth as much as $1.1 billion ... to build weather satellites.
  • So now we're officially in a recession. Gee, the economy seemed to be humming along so well, too.
  • Johnson & Johnson (NYSE: JNJ) is snapping up breast implant and body contouring equipment maker Mentor (NYSE: MNT) for $31 a share. Next step? Reshaping the Johnson & Johnson Baby Shampoo bottles so they have an hourglass shape.

Until next week, I remain,
Rick Munarriz