Guess Where Coca-Cola Is Investing $4 Billion

Who says American companies aren’t investing? They are. Billions, in fact. Only, they are just not investing in the U.S.

Atlanta based Coca-Cola (KO) plans to invest $4 billion in China, the company’s CEO Muhtar Kent told reporters in Shanghai this week. It’s the company’s biggest planned investment in China since the 2009 investment of $2 billion. The investments will start next year and is part of the company’s China capex until 2014.

Kent said the company is even considering listing its shares on the Shanghai Stock Exchange, adding itself to the list of mainstream brands listing their depositary receipts on exchanges outside of their home base. Massachusetts luggage maker Samsonite opted to list in Hong Kong in the second quarter rather than do its initial public offering on the NYSE. The new China investments will focus on innovation, infrastructure and...

For the whole article go to Forbes.com.

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Google’s Big Bet on the Mobile Future

Maybe in a few years wherever you will look, you are going to see GOOGLE or GOOGLE will be watching you. 

Google made a $12.5 billion bet on Monday that its future — and the future of big Internet companies — lies in mobile computing, and moved aggressively to take on its arch rival Apple in the mobile market. 

The Silicon Valley giant, known for its search engine and Android phone software, rattled the tech world with its announcement that it would acquire Motorola Mobility Holdings, allowing it to get into the business of making cellphones and tablets.
The acquisition, Google’s largest to date and an all-cash deal, would put the company in head-to-head competition with its own business partners, the many phone makers that use Android software, as well as with Apple. 


Go to The New York Times - Breaking News, World News & Multimedia, to read the whole article.

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Disney to buy Marvel in $4bn deal

by BBC News,

Entertainment giant Walt Disney is to buy Marvel Entertainment in a shares and cash deal valued at $4bn (£2.5bn).
The deal means Disney will take over ownership of 5,000 Marvel characters, such as Spider-Man and the X-Men.
Marvel shareholders will get $30 per share in cash plus 0.745 Disney shares for every Marvel share owned.

The boards of Disney and Marvel have both approved the deal, which now needs the backing of Marvel shareholders and competition authorities.
Marvel shares were ahead $9.68, or 25%, to $48.33 in Monday trading while Disney shares fell 80 cents, or 3%, to $26.04.
'Great assets'
"We believe that adding Marvel to Disney's unique portfolio of brands provides significant opportunities for long-term growth and value creation," Disney president and chief executive Robert Iger said.
"We are pleased to bring this talent and these great assets to Disney."
Other Marvel's characters include Captain America, the Fantastic Four and Thor.
"Disney is the perfect home for Marvel's fantastic library of characters given its proven ability to expand content creation and licensing businesses," said Marvel chief executive Ike Perlmutter.
"This is an unparalleled opportunity for Marvel to build upon its vibrant brand and character properties by accessing Disney's tremendous global organization and infrastructure around the world," he added.
'Good deal'
Arvind Bhatia, an analyst at Sterne, Agee and Leach, said that the deal appeared to be a "win-win situation for both companies".
"They [Marvel shareholders] are getting a good deal in my opinion. The CEO of the company, Isaac Perlmutter, is also the largest shareholder of the company.
"From that standpoint, we think the chances of this deal going through are pretty high."
Last month, Walt Disney reported a fall in profits of more than a quarter as the downturn hit revenue at its film and theme park divisions.
Net profit between April and June came in at $954m (£579m), down 26% on the $1.28bn the entertainment giant made in the same period last year.
Revenues of $8.6bn were down 7% from the $9.2bn recorded a year before.

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