PRESS RELEASE: Fitch: P&O Ports Complements Bidders' Assets

See this Fitch Ratings report from February 7, while the bidding war for P&O between Dubai Ports World and Singapore-based PSA was still active. See also this Gulf News report.

Do you see mention of US assets? No. Those assets are not part of the core strategic commercial concerns of DPW or PSA.

Bottomline: We could see DPW offering to spin off its US assets for economic reasons. If the American public remains set against the DPW acquisition of US ports a spinoff it may not be in anyone's interest to force the issue.

I remain hopeful that the deal will go through with a reasonable level of blessing from the American public. Daniel Drezner remains concerned the American public will not come around to that view. If they don't, then exiting before a vote and pointing to the compelling economic evidence in favor of a spinoff would limit the damage I see to the war on terror if Dubai does not acquire the US.

TAGS: Dubai Ports Drezner