Sir, you have quintuplets

JP MorganChase was in talks on Sunday night for a deal that would quintuple its offer for Bear Stearns,
the beleaguered investment bank, in an effort to pacify angry Bear
shareholders, according to people involved in the negotiations.

More.  Last week we were wondering why the price was above $2 a share.  And last week some of you were calling this deal a bailout of Bear Stearns.  Now Bear shareholders are alleging they were coerced into taking this deal.  This is a) good news that the firm is worth more than we had thought, b) bad news for dealing with the next round of problems (it is harder for any subsequent solution to be viewed as legitimate), and c) another reason why the answer isn’t just more regulation.  By the way, note that JPMorgan isn’t actually paying that much more.