US firm agrees to buy Panama Canal ports at center of Trump fury - Watch the Money!!!

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https://www.cnn.com/2025/03/04/business/panama-canal-port-deal-trump/index.html

"... The deal announced Tuesday called for BlackRock and a consortium of fellow investors to spend $22.8 billion to buy the ports of Balboa and Cristobal on either end of the canal from CK Hutchison, a Hong Kong company. It said the deal is an “agreement in principle.” BlackRock’s consortium is also buying CK Hutchison’s controlling interest in 43 other ports comprising 199 berths in 23 countries, but none of the ports it operates in China or Hong Kong.

“These world-class ports facilitate global growth,” said a statement from BlackRock CEO Larry Fink. “Through our deep connectivity to organizations like Hutchison … and governments around the world, we are increasingly the first call for partners seeking patient, long-term capital. We are thrilled our clients can participate in this investment.”

BlackRock is one of the world’s largest asset managers, with an enormous pool of $11.6 trillion in assets. For context, that sum equal is to about 40% of the United States’ gross domestic product, the broadest measure of a nation’s economic activity. Unlike some conglomerates, its doesn’t completely control a large number of high profile companies. But among its holdings, it owns the second largest stake in some of the nation’s largest and most successful companies, including Walmart, Apple, Amazon, Microsoft and Google owner Alphabet..."