The recent buyout of Alpha Natural Resources Inc. (ANR) by Cleveland Cliffs Inc. (CLF) could ignite more than $50 billion worth of M&A deals in the U.S. coal industry over the next few years as Mainland China rushes to solve a major energy shortfall.

Highlights from last week's Ira W. Sohn Investment Research Conference. This report is a bit more detailed than the New York Times article and includes more stocks that were mentioned during the conference. (Subscription required)