The problem: The siren song of a new tax deal on the way may well drive potential buyers back to the sidelines while they await its return.

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But while its Asian arm would attract plenty of interest, potential buyers of the more mature British and American operations are few in number and have been weakened by the financial crisis.

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Since most potential buyers would probably prefer to sell off some assets while holding others, lining up potential spinoff transactions beforehand could be a vital step toward deciding whether to bid for the company.

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While the deal has been mired in controversy, one thing that potential bond buyers may not have to worry about is the bonds going into default.

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While we're missing key hardware specs at the moment, at least potential buyers can start pondering whether they'll be down for the design revisions or not.

ENGADGET

While rising open interest presumably means buyers are still coming into the market to underpin prices, this also creates more potential for accelerated long-liquidation selling on price pullbacks.

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