"Chesapeake and Southwestern Poised for $17 Billion Merger to Become Top US Gas Producer"

Southwestern Energy and Chesapeake Energy, two prominent natural gas producers, are reportedly on the verge of a merger that could create a nearly $17 billion entity. This merger would position the combined company as one of the largest natural gas producers in the United States, with a production of about 7.4 billion cubic feet of gas per day. The potential merger, which could be finalized as early as next week, has already had a positive impact on the companies' stock prices since initial reports in October.