There are few beehives busier than Dow Chemical
Let's review how we got here: The first thing you need to know is that Michigan-based Dow agreed some time ago to pay $15.3 billion for Philadelphia-based Rohm & Haas
That is, until the Kuwaitis became frightened by the world's tumbling economy (and the ups and downs of crude prices) and pulled the plug on their end of the bargain. Which left the folks at Dow scrambling for other ways to complete the Rohm & Haas acquisition. You see, that deal had been signed without a "buyer's remorse" clause, which would have permitted Dow to exit the agreement by paying a penalty. Instead, there's a "ticking fee," which costs Dow $100 million each month the deal isn't consummated.
But help may be on the way. Dow appears to be in talks with a group of private-equity firms, including The Blackstone Group
And then there's the possibility of interest from Syngenta AG
All this tends to increase my interest in Dow, a company whose management has been attempting to guide toward increased profitability. Unfortunately, they've been ambushed along the way. Now that competing cavalries having been spotted mounting the nearest hill, we may be in for a tussle well worth Foolish attention.
For related Foolishness: