Fiserv (FISV) completed its acquisition of Checkfree (CKFR) for $48 per share in cash, or a total of $4.4 billion.

Carlyle Group also closed its $2.4 billion purchase of Sequa Corp (SQA.A). Shareholders received $175 per share in cash in the deal.

Hickey and Walters (Bespoke) submit: For investors who follow technical analysis, Golden and Iron Crosses are considered to be important chart patterns.

A Golden Cross is when a short term moving average crosses above a long term moving average when both are rising, and it is considered a bullish pattern. An Iron Cross is the opposite. It occurs when a short term moving average falls below a long term moving average when both are falling, and is considered bearish.

Hickey and Walters (Bespoke) submit: With the market making new highs yesterday, we have updated our list of the S&P 1,500 (large, mid and small cap S&P indices) stocks trading furthest above and below their 50-day moving averages. We realize that some of the ones trading well above their 50-days are being acquired, but we have included them anyways.

PENX tops our list of most above, trading 52.73% higher than its 50-day. FINL is trading the furthest below at -27.97%. Other notable names making the list: Apollo Group (APOL) +24.15, Nvidia (NVDA) +22.36, Freeport McMoRan Copper (FCX) +20.49, and homebuilders HOV -21.87, HOV -21.87, MTH, -19.75, KBH -15.85, LEN -15.54, RYL -13.49.

Sequa Corporation, diversified industrial maker of auto and aircraft parts, agreed to sell itself to private equity firm Carlyle Group for $175 a share, a whopping 54% premium to Friday's closing price of $113.52. Including debt assumption, the deal is valued at a total of $2.7 billion. Under the terms of the buyout, Sequa may continue to solicit acquisition proposals through Aug. 23. Sequa is also engaged in the manufacture of metal coating, specialty chemical and industrial machinery products. According to Carlyle, Sequa CEO Martin Weinstein and senior management will remain with Sequa. Sequa's board has already unanimously approved the deal and is recommending shareholders do the same. Sequa Chairman Gail A. Binderman on the deal: "Carlyle has a demonstrated track record of investing in and improving the companies it acquires and has great financial and operational expertise. Our Board unanimously supports becoming a part of the Carlyle family." The buyout is expected to close during the fourth quarter.

Room to Run by Lauren R. Rublin

Summary: Barron's 2007 mid-year roundtable survey of influential fund managers. Their picks:

ANALYST ROUNDTABLE: Multiple Choices by Lauren R. Rublin

Cablevision Systems Corp.(2.26% of net assets as of December 31, 2006) (CVC) ($28.48 - NYSE) is one of the nation’s leading communications and entertainment companies. Headquartered in Bethpage, N.Y., Cablevision serves 3 million cable customers in the most important cable TV market – New York.Cablevision also operates and has majority interests in a number of sports related assets, including Madison Square Garden, the N.Y. Knicks, the N.Y. Rangers, the MSG Network, and six other regional sports networks. In addition, Cablevision’s Rainbow Media unit owns high growth cable networks, including AMC, Women’s Entertainment, and IFC. In October 2006, Cablevision’s controlling Dolan family made a bid to take the company private for $27 per share.In January 2007, the Dolans raised their offer to $30 per share.This follows the Dolans’ June 2005 attempt to purchase the cable systems for $21 per share and a $10 per share cash distribution made in April 2006. We view the $30 per share offer as inadequate, given the recent positive dynamics in the cable industry and would look for substantially increased consideration from the Dolan group or a merger with newly public Time Warner Cable.