January 20, 2008

Overseas Investors Buy U.S. Holdings at a Record Pace - New York Times

Are you comfortable with the long-term consequences of globalization? More of America is owned by non-Americans, and this has increased recently as the big banks have sought overseas investments to shore up their balance sheets and increase their cash available after writing down so much bad debt.

Current new U.S. government debt is 75% owned by foreigners. Within 20 years America will be an 'also ran' country, economically. What will that mean for the radical Islamic terrorist fanatics who hate us so much? Will they also hate and attack other non-Islamic countries who have prospered and are secular as well?

If it's Western style secularism they hate, China, Korea, Singapore and Japan should be among their targets. Perhaps it's our financial strength and our military prowess they are eager to diminish by causing us to spend so much on security and securing our economy.

From the NY Times:

A Flood of InvestmentGraphic

A Flood of Investment

"For much of the world, the United States is now on sale at discount prices. With credit tight, unemployment growing and worries mounting about a potential recession, American business and government leaders are courting foreign money to keep the economy growing. Foreign investors are buying aggressively, taking advantage of American duress and a weak dollar to snap up what many see as bargains, while making inroads to the world’s largest market.

Last year, foreign investors poured a record $414 billion into securing stakes in American companies, factories and other properties through private deals and purchases of publicly traded stock, according to Thomson Financial, a research firm. That was up 90 percent from the previous year and more than double the average for the last decade. It amounted to more than one-fourth of all announced deals for the year, Thomson said."

Overseas Investors Buy U.S. Holdings at a Record Pace - New York Times

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