Foreign Nationals Shop for U.S. Firms

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In 2007, foreign investors bought stakes in U.S. companies whose businesses range from financial services and real estate to steel making and lighting. Foreign acquisitions totaled a record $414 billion, almost 90 percent more than the previous year and almost 30 percent more than 2000’s record, according to Thomson Financial, an economic data and research firm.
The relative weakness of the U.S. dollar creates opportunities for companies in countries with stronger currencies. They can buy U.S. businesses at bargain prices, according to economists.
“The valuation of U.S. companies compared to Japanese or European firms makes them reasonably attractive,” Brian Bethune of economic forecasters Global Insight told America.gov.

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Alan Tonelson, a research fellow at a trade group representing small and mid-size U.S. manufacturers, believes that, by targeting mostly leading technology firms, foreign companies are “acquiring control over the most dynamic pieces of the American economy.”
“They’re acquiring control over America’s future,” he told The Boston Globe.