Mergers & Acquisitions

We have found one bond among more than a dozen issued by these two newly merged companies that we consider well very protected from the financial perils that the new company might experience. And because of this, it has an extra high yield, which can lead to extra high profits.

In the midst of the market tumult and a broken merger, this company's bonds felt a sharp decline in price. For analyst Martin Fridson this distress has created a very appealing new opportunity.

The issue will feature a prominent U.S. airline whose bonds trade at a steep discount. It’s a company with nearly 25 years of success and an industry-best customer-service record. Plus, we include an equity that provides some downside protection and lots of upside.

Barron’s reached out to Jim Osman, founder of research firm the Edge, which identifies opportunities in special situations, including spinoffs, mergers, management changes, and shareholder activism. Spinoffs, in particular, have been fertile ground in the past. Osman has been tracking them for 20-plus years and found that companies involved in spinoffs beat the market in