Finance suffers setbacks.(in Colorado)(Statistical Data Included)

On Colorado's financial front, investment of all types dropped with a thud in 2001.

Companies investing in other companies through mergers and acquisitions was down here, as was the availability of venture capital. After a steady stream of initial public offerings in recent years, mostly by technology companies, Colorado had no IPOs this year. And consumers who couldn't wait to invest their money on Wall Street shied away from equities.

Through this year's third quarter, total U.S. merger-and-acquisition deals were at their lowest in five years at 6,300, and they were not expected to surpass 8,000 for the year, according to M&A tracker Mergerstat LP.

Deals of the year

But two of the country's biggest M&A plays this year involved Colorado companies. Littleton-based EchoStar Communication Corp.'s nearly $30 billion offer for Hughes Electronics Corp. has been accepted, but now must be blessed by regulatory agencies. AT&T Broadband & Internet Services continues to play coy with suitors …