Hey, What's News listeners.
It's Sunday, August 17th.
I'm Alex Osele for The Wall Street Journal.
This is What's News Sunday,
the show where we tackle the big questions about the biggest stories in the news by reaching out to our colleagues across the newsroom to help explain what's happening in our world.
On today's show, are we in our merger era?
Signs point to yes.
Wall Street is coming off a hot summer of deals unusual for this time of year.
We discuss why, for companies, big is in,
whether the tie-up trend is likely to continue, and what roadblocks might stand in the way.
Late last month, rail operator Union Pacific announced that it would acquire rival Norfolk Southern,
creating the first coast-to-coast rail operator in U.S. history.
That deal, for about $70 billion,
may be the largest to be announced in recent months, but it's far from the only one.
Back in May, credit card company Capital One acquired Discover for $35 billion.
In the entertainment industry, Paramount bought Skydance Media for $8 billion.
In the grocery department, Nutella maker Ferrero bought breakfast cereal conglomerate W.K.
Kellogg for about $3 billion.
And in tech,
Google parent Alphabet made a blockbuster $32 billion bid for cybersecurity startup Wiz.