The Companies that Rule the World????

I am adding this info here because it is fascinating to think about. Years ago, I read a book entitled The Captains & Kings by Taylor Caldwell. And it has shaped my thinking ever since. Then today is an article in New Scientist on this theme sort of, of who controls the economies of the world. I read the article and I particularly noted one comment that the owner of a business is not necessarily the manager or rule-maker so to speak. To which I add, but if the owner does not know the rule-maker and did not appoint/hire/authorize him or her, then entity was hijacked as it were an airplane with strangers with guns in the cockpit. Here is what I found astonishing about article:

From article entitled "Revealed--the Capitalist network that runs the world" this quote :


"The top 50 of the 147 superconnected companies" [who run the world] are:

"1. Barclays plc 
2. Capital Group Companies Inc 
3. FMR Corporation 4. AXA
 5. State Street Corporation 
6. JP Morgan Chase & Co 
7. Legal & General Group plc 
8. Vanguard Group Inc
 9. UBS AG
10. Merrill Lynch & Co Inc 
11. Wellington Management Co LLP
 12. Deutsche Bank AG
 13. Franklin Resources Inc
 14. Credit Suisse Group
 15. Walton Enterprises LLC
 16. Bank of New York Mellon Corp
 17. Natixis 
18. Goldman Sachs Group Inc 
19. T Rowe Price Group Inc
 20. Legg Mason Inc 
21. Morgan Stanley 
22. Mitsubishi UFJ Financial Group Inc
 23. Northern Trust Corporation
 24. Société Générale
 25. Bank of America Corporation
 26. Lloyds TSB Group plc 
27. Invesco plc 
28. Allianz SE 29. TIAA 
30. Old Mutual Public Limited Company 
31. Aviva plc 
32. Schroders plc
 33. Dodge & Cox
 34. Lehman Brothers Holdings Inc* 
35. Sun Life Financial Inc
 36. Standard Life plc
 37. CNCE
 38. Nomura Holdings Inc
 39. The Depository Trust Company 
40. Massachusetts Mutual Life Insurance 
41. ING Groep NV 
42. Brandes Investment Partners LP 
43. Unicredito Italiano SPA 
44. Deposit Insurance Corporation of Japan 
45. Vereniging Aegon 
46. BNP Paribas 
47. Affiliated Managers Group Inc 
48. Resona Holdings Inc 
49. Capital Group International Inc 
50. China Petrochemical Group Company".
* Lehman still existed in the 2007 dataset used
Article is very interesting. Read it at:
http://www.newscientist.com/article/mg21228354.500-revealed--the-capitalist-network-that-runs-the-world.html;
23-Oct-2011;2:44pm.
My questions are:
who are /what is? FMR, AXA, CNCE,Nomura,Resona, Natixis,Legal & General Group,Aviva, Schroders, Vereniging Aegon???
There is no surprise about Barclays which I think has some of the best customer service in the world. Nor about Chase, Deutsche Bank,Credit Suisse ,Waltons [Wal-Mart] ,Bank of NY Mellon, and the others I am familiar enough with their span of the earth to not be too shocked. And I guess the inclusion of "China petrochemical" [oil,gasoline,etc] is a nod of recognition that the times are a changing. The fact that as far as I know off the top of my head thinking none of those are Arabic petrochemicals which sort of shocks me some. And none of them are in health care, automobiles, [insurance is about payment of health care not delivery of it], and most of the 50 are concerned with financial assets not production of anything, nor surprisingly are any of them internet only or based upon web solely.
Maybe the fact that they only store wealth not produce it is the answer to the depression the U S & EU are facing collectively?
Anyway, I am thinking on this some more and plan to research some of these.
Gloria Poole; 23-Oct-2011;3:06pm;@my apt in Missouri