Billionaire activist investor Carl Icahn said on Thursday that it is time for investors to tread carefully after the run-up in U.S. stock markets.
"In my mind, it is time to be cautious about
the U.S. stock markets," Icahn said in a telephone interview. "While we
are having a great year, I am being very selective about the companies I
purchase.'' 
Icahn also said Family Dollar Stores Inc should think about a possible sale to Dollar General Corp.
"The leadership, to say the least, is questionable at Family Dollar and
it's been that way for many years,'' Icahn said. "Howard (Levine) might
be a nice guy but he is far from the right leader for Family Dollar.''
Icahn added: "We believe Family Dollar and Dollar General should merge as they would make for perfect partners. It is obvious that Family Dollar, especially in light of its record and the looming competition on the horizon, could use a partner. However, unfortunately, the announcement of Dollar General Chief Executive Rick Dreiling's retirement is a setback to an activist player like us that would like to accelerate this process but it doesn't mean it is insurmountable on a long-term basis'' with regards to a possible merger between Dollar General and Family Dollar.
