Turns out that sweetened offer was enough to do the trick, as Monsanto has accepted Bayer’s overtures in yet another agribusiness merger (a roughly $66 billion deal) that is leaving more than a few farmers uneasy – NYTimes

Breakingviews, ever the pragmatist, questions the value of the merger – NYTimes

The SEC’s getting set to finalize transparency rules for dark pools that would require them to disclose how they treat customers, complete with several “improvements” on the agency’s initial 2015 regs – WSJ

SEC Chair Mary Jo White has also highlighted the increased agency efforts required to oversee algorithmic and alternative trading systems – Law360

The Committee on Capital Markets Regulation—a nonprofit that represents execs from many of the US’s largest banks—will release a paper today arguing that the Fed illegally sidestepped the APA by adopting “central parts of its annual stress test.” The paper’s seen as a precursor to a likely lawsuit – WSJ

Federal prosecutors on both coasts have issued subpoenas to Wells Fargo over the actions of thousands of its employees who created sham accounts without their customers’ consent that recently led to a $185 million SEC fine – NYTimes and WSJ and Law360

The recent bout of equities volatility has bled into the bond market, where yields have actually risen of late after near historic lows as investors try to read the tea leaves of central bankers and potential stimulus plans – WSJ and Bloomberg

While we’re talking bonds, Streetwise thinks we’re long-overdue for their bubble to burst – WSJ

And for the bond hat trick: big win for the SEC against Miami over allegations that the city misled investors and concealed facts by “shuffling as much as $37.5 million between 2007 and 2009” to mask budget difficulties and make its bond offerings more attractive – Law360

Who knew?  (Seriously, has anyone been talking about this?)  For as much buzz as Elon Musk has been getting for his Model 3—the so-called “affordable Tesla”—it’s good old General Motors (in the form of the Chevy Bolt EV) that’s largely beat him to the punch in the affordable electric car game – NYTimes