When it takes up to four million pounds of sand to frack a single well, it’s no wonder that demand is outpacing supply and frack sand producers are becoming the biggest behind-the-scenes beneficiaries of the oil and gas boom.

We could be on the verge of another major oil M&A boom like the historic one that brought Exxon and Mobil together. Mergers and acquisitions have the potential to shake up a market and send some stocks soaring, but the best industry plays aren’t all that obvious.

T2108 closed slightly down at 62.8% and is now on an 11th day levitating above 60% without hitting overbought levels.

Halliburton Co. and its smaller rival Baker Hughes Inc. confirmed that they have entered into a merger agreement.

Deflation is casting a larger shadow over the U.S. equity bull market and I believe that the Fed may be forced to defer raising rates if the U.S. Dollar continues its upward trajectory while weaker G-8 members (Japan, China, and Europe) maintain highly accommodative policies.

December E-mini S&Ps (ESZ14 +0.02%) this morning are up +0.01% on increased M&A activity with Baker Hughes up over 5% in pre-market trading after it confirmed that it was in talks with Halliburton for a potential "business combination."