Filed under: Deals, Law, Politics

The European Union has decided to get serious about having sovereign funds from Asia and the Middle East pledge that their investment in the region are “financial” and not “strategic.”

According to the Financial Times, “Peter Mandelson, the European trade commissioner, said the code would set out basic standards of governance and transparency for the funds.”

Sovereign funds have made massive investment in banks and brokerage houses in Europe and the United States and the regulatory authorities don’t want these dollars to become a way for the funds to push their nation interests.

The request is a bit two-faced. Funds and corporation from the West have been putting money into Asia and the Middle East for years. Big U.S. companies are not required to sign documents disclosing their intentions when they make investments overseas. Plans by Congress and the EU to push legislation to regulate capital from abroad might back-fire. When U.S. and Europe banks need more cash, sovereign funds might simply elect to invest elsewhere.

Douglas A. McIntyre is an editor at 247wallst.com.

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Filed under: Deals, Law, Politics

The European Union has decided to get serious about having sovereign funds from Asia and the Middle East pledge that their investment in the region are “financial” and not “strategic.”

According to the Financial Times, “Peter Mandelson, the European trade commissioner, stated the code would set out basic standards of governance and transparency for the funds.”

Sovereign funds have made big investment in banks and brokerage houses in Europe and the United Says and the regulatory authorities don’t want these dollars to become a way for the funds to push their nation interests.

The request is a bit two-faced. Funds and corporation from the West have been putting money into Asia and the Middle East for years. Massive U.S. companies are not required to sign documents disclosing their intentions when they make investments overseas. Plans by Congress and the EU to push legislation to regulate capital from abroad might back-fire. When U.S. and Europe banks need more cash, sovereign funds might simply elect to invest elsewhere.

Douglas A. McIntyre is an editor at 247wallst.com.

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Filed under: Deals, Competitive strategy, Google (GOOG), Microsoft (MSFT), Yahoo! (YHOO)

A memo by a senior Microsoft (NASDAQ: MSFT) executive sets out some of the reasons for the company’s bid for Yahoo! (NASDAQ: YHOO). According to The Wall Street Journal (subscription required), “Kevin Johnson, president of Microsoft’s Platforms and Services Division, reiterated the Redmond, Wash., software maker’s reasons behind its unsolicited offer, writing that a combination would provide a compelling substitute in search and online advertising.” The note goes further to indicate that Microsoft values both the Yahoo! brands and the technical skills of its engineers.

Yahoo! should not take the memo seriously. It would be hard to name a company that Microsoft has purchased that still maintains its own brands and independent operations. Bill Gates has said that the software company will put its full engineering skill behind an effort to build superior search technology than Google (NASDAQ: GOOG) has. It may be an audacious and arrogant approach to catching the industry leader, but Microsoft has never looked for outside help to solve its most important problems.

All Yahoo! shareholders can look for in the generous Microsoft buy-out offer is a good payday. The world’s largest software company looks at Yahoo! as a step in advancing its own agenda and nothing more.

Douglas A. McIntyre is an editor at 247wallst.com.

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