The rush of speculation since news broke this morning that Microsoft and Yahoo might be in merger talks is all for naught, according to the WSJ (sub. req.) — one of the two papers that started it all. (The NY Post broke the News; WSJ gave it legs.) The latest report: merger discussions “are no longer active” but the two may explore ways of cooperating. It came out just before after the market closed.
The Journal — quoting the usual “people familiar with the situation” — says the talks in recent months discussed a merger or some kind of match-up but that Yahoo doesn’t appear to be interested in a major deal.
Update: Dow Jones’ MarketWatch picked up on the “media report” from its sub-required sibling: “Yahoo shares ended the day up 10 percent at $30.98. Shares rallied sharply, at one point rising 17 percent, after the New York Post reported that Microsoft may want to buy the firm in what could be a $50 billion deal.” The rally lost steam after the WSJ report.
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