Foreign Investments United States

Murdoch's TV Station Deal Probed: Federal regulators are reviewing their approval of Rupert Murdoch's 1985 acquisition of six big-city television stations, including one in Los Angeles. The government is investigating whether the purchase violated federal laws prohibiting foreign ownership of U.S. broadcasting properties. If so, it could have multibillion-dollar consequences for Murdoch and the company he controls, News Corp.

It wasn't just you and your neighbors caught in the frenzy for "new-economy" stocks in the first quarter of this year. Data reported Tuesday show that foreign investors bought a record net $62.7 billion of U.S. shares in the first quarter, compared with $107.5 billion worth they bought in all of 1999, according to the Securities Industry Assn. The unprecedented demand in the first quarter "was a record vote of confidence in the U.S.

The yen closed at 99.93 to the dollar in Tokyo on Monday, the first time the U.S. currency's value has closed below 100 yen since the modern exchange rate system was established half a century ago. The dollar later rallied in New York back above the 100 level, but it is clear that the yen has enjoyed a record rise against the greenback. Here are some questions and answers about the yen's strength against the dollar and its potential effects. * Q: Why has the yen been rising against the dollar?

The yen closed at 99.93 to the dollar in Tokyo on Monday, the first time the U.S. currency's value has closed below 100 yen since the modern exchange rate system was established half a century ago. The dollar later rallied in New York back above the 100 level, but it is clear that the yen has enjoyed a record rise against the greenback. Here are some questions and answers about the yen's strength against the dollar and its potential effects. * Q: Why has the yen been rising against the dollar?

It wasn't just you and your neighbors caught in the frenzy for "new-economy" stocks in the first quarter of this year. Data reported Tuesday show that foreign investors bought a record net $62.7 billion of U.S. shares in the first quarter, compared with $107.5 billion worth they bought in all of 1999, according to the Securities Industry Assn. The unprecedented demand in the first quarter "was a record vote of confidence in the U.S.

After making a small fortune as an importer in Taiwan, Taung Ming-Lin came to America with the dream of turning the soil into a garden of bamboo and bok choy and Chinese bitter melon. He took one look at the fields rolling out lush and incandescent in Kern County and plunked down $1.65 million. Problem was, the 723 acres he bought three years ago turned out to be just about the most Godforsaken land in these parts.

The deficit in the broadest measure of U.S. foreign trade hit a record $36.28 billion from July through September, the government reported today. The Commerce Department said the imbalance in the nation's current account was 5.4% higher than the old record, set in the April-June quarter, of $34.41 billion. The current account measures not only trade between nations in merchandise, but also covers services, primarily investment earnings and transfer payments, such as foreign aid.

The deficit in the broadest measure of U.S. foreign trade climbed to an all-time high of $36.28 billion in the July-September quarter, increasing America's status as the world's largest debtor nation, the government said Tuesday. The Commerce Department said the imbalance in the country's current account was 5.4% higher than the old record of $34.41 billion set in the April-June quarter.

Most dollar-rich Japanese real estate investors who had been on a buying spree in the United States until the stock market crash, are now sitting on the sidelines, according to two Los Angeles real estate executives. But how long this watch-and-wait attitude will last and whether it will result in lower U.S. property values is not clear. Michael P.

After making a small fortune as an importer in Taiwan, Taung Ming-Lin came to America with the dream of turning the soil into a garden of bamboo and bok choy and Chinese bitter melon. He took one look at the fields rolling out lush and incandescent in Kern County and plunked down $1.65 million. Problem was, the 723 acres he bought three years ago turned out to be just about the most Godforsaken land in these parts.

Murdoch's TV Station Deal Probed: Federal regulators are reviewing their approval of Rupert Murdoch's 1985 acquisition of six big-city television stations, including one in Los Angeles. The government is investigating whether the purchase violated federal laws prohibiting foreign ownership of U.S. broadcasting properties. If so, it could have multibillion-dollar consequences for Murdoch and the company he controls, News Corp.