Who will emerge the winners in Microsoft's hostile bid for Yahoo? Morgan Stanley's looking good. It apparently has won a lead advisory role with Microsoft. But Mr. Softie is also being co-advised by none other than the Blackstone Group. Most people are likely unaware that Blackstone even has an advisory unit. So this is the kind of deal, providing it goes well, that could really put it on the map, if not in the league tables. The Yahoo side is also interesting. Goldman Sachs and Lehman Brothers are apparently the top advisors. This is a time-honored role for good-guy Goldman Sachs. They tried to broker a deal between the two players a while back. The twist is that back then the firm was working for Microsoft.  

For more:
- here's the Financial News Online article