More on the Mergers & Acquisitions Mania, aka "The Greatest Acquisition in the History of Mankind"

Here's a great summary of the recent Mergers & Acquisitions Mania:

The “winner,” to buy 3PAR – Hewlett-Packard – will have the privilege of purchasing a company whose stock flatlined around $10 a share over the past year for $33 a share, a full 242% above 3Par’s closing price on August 13 of $9.65, just before the bidding frenzy began.

For those not paying attention – which is impossible if you have had CNBC on for more than 10 minutes – HP and Dell have been engaged in a spectacular bidding war for a company most people have never heard of.  On August 16, Dell offered to buy 3Par for $18 a share, nearly double the prior trading day’s closing price.  A week later on Monday August 23, Hewlett-Packard offered to buy 3Par for $24 a share.  On Thursday of that week, Dell upped its bid to $24.30 a share.  Like the antsy day trader who just can’t wait to buy, HP offered $27 per share for 3Par eight hours later.  Dell matched HP’s offer the following day.  Determined to show Dell exactly who was the Baddest on the Block, HP offered $30 a share two-and-a-half hours later.  Both sides cooled their heels over the weekend, and with rumours of Dell readying to up its bid yet again, HP jacked up its offer to $33 a share today, effectively bidding against itself.

It seems we have a long way to go before sentiment reaches bottom.