leeway, dire credit crunch,

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB123296893687515123.html?mod=yahoo_hs&ru=yahoo
"...
Blue-chip Pfizer was down almost 7% after announcing plans to buy rival Wyeth for $68 billion in cash and stock.

Wyeth shares climbed 2%, while the New York-listed shares of Crucell were down 10% as Wyeth pulled out of talks to buy the Dutch biotech.

However, most market participants focused on the Pfizer deal that did get done – a merger that's been anticipated since rumors of it began circulating last week.

After months of a dire credit crunch, a merger of such magnitude could signal that other industries may have leeway to begin making deals of their own.
..."