A few years ago, IwasCEOofa big joint venturethatwasthe Internetportalfor VodafoneGroupPLC (VOD) andVivendi SA (12777.fr), twoof Europe's largestcompanies.
VodafoneGroupPLC(VOD) : This U.K.-based mobile phone giant has some 340 million customers, and a presence Europe, the Middle East, Africa, Asia Pacific and the United States (where it has a sizeable stake in Verizon Wireless).
Among the largest underlying components of VGK, in trading today Nestle S A ( OTC: NSRGY) is up about 0.5%, VodafoneGroupPlc ( NASD: VOD) is up about 0.3%, and HSBC Holdings Plc ( NYSE: HBC) is higher by about 1.1%.
Among the largest underlying components of VEU, in trading today VodafoneGroupPlc ( NASD: VOD) is up about 0.9%, Royal Dutch Shell Plc ( NYSE: RDS.A) is up about 0.9%, and BHP Billiton Ltd. ( NYSE: BHP) is up by about 1.6%.