This image was lost some time after publication.

Between February 1, when Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer announced his plans to plunder Yahoo, and February 15, Microsoft shares dropped 13 percent. This is bad news for the merged company's prospects. According to 2004 study, when the market immediately disapproves of a company's deal, 75 percent of the time, that company continues to underperform the market index for at least the next two years. (Photo by Jesper Ronn-Jensen)