U.S. is Losing Ownership Control

One measure of just how bad our decisions are as a country in terms of our response to the current economic conditions is whether or not we are gaining or losing ownership control as a country. The data is not good: the U.S. is the biggest loser, followed by the U.K. and Canada. The biggest gainers are France, Spain and Belgium. Curiously, China only gained a relative paltry $15 billion. Call it the rise of the "Old World" if you will...

Despite a temporary lull during the financial crisis, global industry restructuring is driving a dramatic increase in cross-border acquisitions, and some countries are selling a lot more than buying. Between 2000 and 2008, the U.S. lost $220 billion of corporate ownership control. The U.K. lost $187 billion. And Canada lost $158 billion.

Source: Harvard Business Review