Confectioners: Cadbury, Hershey, more

The credit crunch has left airlines scrambling to cut costs, trim schedules and hope their dwindling cash piles can outlast the slowdown.

The latest on the bailout to end all bailouts.

It's official. Time Warner Inc. will finally spin off AOL LLC on Dec. 9, 2009. Since the landmark merger that brought Time Warner and AOL together in 2000, it's been a bumpy ride.

Many casual-restaurant chains are weighing strategic options, and some are feeling the bankruptcy heat. Here's a look at some on the block, others that have filed and some that are the subject of speculation.

Madoff, Stanford, Dreier, the N.Y. pension scandal ... welcome to the recession rogues gallery.

As expected, GM exited Chapter 11 on July 10. See highlights of The Deal's coverage of how the auto giant got to bankruptcy and what steps it took to emerge.

On Monday, Nov. 9, Kraft Foods Inc. formally made a hostile bid for Cadbury plc. Cadbury's management reacted by advising its shareholders to reject the offer.

On Sept. 15, Bank of America Corp. agreed to buy Merrill Lynch & Co. for $50 billion.

The long drawn-out Yahoo!-Microsoft-Google saga has entered a new stage as Yahoo! and Microsoft team up on a 10-year partnership.

Troubled middle market lender CIT Group Inc. (NYSE:CIT) announced Sunday it has filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection.

Tishman Speyer's $5.4B deal for Stuyvesant Town and Peter Cooper Village symbolized the peak of the real estate boom. Now, the company is feeling some pain as several bonds tied to the development were downgraded.

Pfizer-Wyeth, Merck-Schering Plough. 2009 has seen some big-ticket pharma deals.

PepsiCo has proposed a $6 billion deal for its two largest bottling affiliates. It's trying to gain another edge in the noncarb drinks market.

Tribune's buyout-to-bankruptcy tale has been featured in some Deal magazine retrospects. Here's the latest.

HSBC and Wells Fargo are among the latest firms in layoff headlines.

Nine months after BofA and Merrill officially combined, the firm announced that Ken Lewis will retire as president and CEO by year's end.

Almost three years since the troubled merger that created Alcatel-Lucent SA, the Franco-American company appears to have turned a corner.

Ten years of The Deal's coverage of NHL franchise sales, bankruptcies and more. Remember the strike?

Walt Disney Co. agreed to acquire Marvel Entertainment Inc. for about $4 billion in cash and stock -- a deal that broke 2009's M&A calm.

Facing increasing competition and struggling with its own debt, Blockbuster Inc. (NYSE:BBI) is in defensive mode, doing all it can to conserve cash and maintain liquidity.

The latest headlines on airlines and bankruptcy.

Steakhouses feel the recession's pinch. In May, however, Outback's parent posted a gain. Back in April, Buffets emerged from Chapter 11.

Kicking off June: PE firms holding $400B in dry powder. Here's some context.

Porsche AG and Volkswagen AG, linked by the wealthy Porsche clan, have spent the better part of a year circling each other for control.

In August, Procter & Gamble wrote another chapter in its history book by selling its prescription drug business for more than $3 billion to Warner Chilcott.

Alston & Bird LLP said Lloyd Winans will join its financial services and products group. He was general counsel at three Lehman banking entities for 10 years.

Cablevision's announces it will spinoff its Madison Square Garden unit.

KKR's spending plenty on beer money.

They're still moving: Broker-dealer Guggenheim Capital Markets LLC launched a financial institutions group, hiring Frank McCutchan and Scott Schondau.

As Crain's New York tells us, 525 magazines died in 2008. What's in store for 2009? Bankruptcies and auctions amid a changing industry.

MagnaChip Semiconductor, Berean Christian Stores are among the latest PE-backed companies to file.

'Middle-market dealmaking is in many ways a window into the soul of wider M&A activity and, in turn, the economy at large,' so writes our middle-market editor Nathaniel E. Baker.

Biogen, WCI, Tropicana ... another day, another company for activist investor Carl Icahn. Here's the latest.

Google continues to make deal headlines. And with the Queen of Competition in the driver's seat, here comes Antitrust 2.0. May 29: A Deal scoop reveals the DOJ is probing possible tech hiring pact.

Neiman's quarterly results show recession's toll and Arcandor asks for U.S.-style prepack bankruptcy.

A green-minded new administration luring cleantech 'stars,' new cleantech funds and startups landing fresh rounds of capital, all against the backdrop of a recession give TheDeal.com staff and contributors plenty to weigh in on.

Express Scripts to raise up to $1.6B: The pharmacy benefits manager will use the proceeds to help it pay cash for WellPoint's drug benefits unit, NextRx.

New York retailer Olly's Retail USA Inc. has followed its Dutch parent Oilily BV into bankruptcy.

Target defeats Ackman.

Bloomberg notes May 26 that 'housing hitting bottom by June means fewest starts since 1945.' Not good news for the homebuilding sector, where bankruptcies abound.

Deal news from the fast food majors is light of late, while Smashburger, and others, ride the better-burger business model.

Trump's worth is questioned.

Whole Foods delivers a profit and Bruno's will keep some stores open.

June 10: After the Supreme Court clears the way, Chrysler LLC-Fiat SpA closes. Deal contributor Eric B. Fisher examines lessons learned from Chrysler in: When hedge funds go to bankruptcy court.

There's lots of buzz about the Mets and Citi Field lately; the Rangers are on the block; and remember when A-Rod became the $252 million man?

SPACs remain a mixed bag. Dick Heckmann's China Water and Drinks deal and Hyde Park's Essex Crane deal go through, while others go bust.

In February, Scott Stuart offered a retrospect on the busted buyout. A month later, BCE was back in dealmaking mode.

Sara Lee's divestiture program of noncore brands continues. Next up: European household and personal care products.

Liberty Media completed the second step in a plan to keep Sirius XM from defaulting on $172 million in convertible notes. Indeed, it seems to be part of a trend.

The NBA plans to borrow $175 million to extend to 15 teams. The Orlando Magic plans to tap it.