Last year, for instance, a group of British and American investment funds beat off an attempt by the French government, for political reasons, to strip a French mining company in which they held shares of a licence to dig in Canada.

ECONOMIST: Minority shareholders

Followed by General Electric, American International Group and Microsoft, all in 12 funds.

FORBES: Magazine Article

Morgan, an American bank which owns the American Century mutual-fund group, to sell funds bearing its own name through savings banks in Germany and France.

ECONOMIST: Fund management

Pfizer was in 24 funds or 65%, Microsoft appeared in 22 and American International Group in 18.

FORBES: Smart Money

These five either sell performance-fee funds or supply capital to the business: American Capital, Apollo Investment Group, Blackstone Group, Fortress Investment Group and KKR.

FORBES: Dumb Idea: Performance Fees Pay Off

Among those who have weighed in on the draft: the Investment Company Institute (which represents mutual funds), the American Bankers Association, the Securities Industry and Financial Markets Association and the Vanguard Group.

FORBES: Magazine Article

Both funds have half their assets in financials, and their five biggest holdings are identical: American Express, American International Group, Altria, Tyco and Berkshire Hathaway.

FORBES: Moonlight Special