Now we have entered the era of globalized markets, the potential for regulators, investors and companies to clash over national classification is huge. Take the case of the merging automobile firms Daimler and Chrysler versus the Standard&Poor's 500 index, which tracks the stock prices of the biggest US corporates.
A stalwart of the S&P500 for years, Chrysler regards itself as American as apple pie. Many US institutional investors agree and have formed a great attachment to the motor giant. But S&P has announced that its proposed merger with German motor company Daimler-Benz, expected to be...