IN BRIEF (Page 17)

Chemical takeover

Dow Chemical Co, the biggest US chemical maker, agreed to buy Rohm & Haas Co for about $18.8 billion to add specialty chemicals that are less vulnerable to economic cycles.

Rohm & Haas investors will receive about $78 in cash for each share they hold, Midland, Michigan-based Dow Chemical said yesterday in a statement. The price is 74 percent higher than Rohm & Haas' closing price on Wednesday.