Fraser talks

WHICH US company would US investors most like to own shares in? The answer is Dell Computer, according to a survey published by the country's United Shareholders' Association.

Companies were judged on their economic performance, shareholder rights and executive compensation schemes - an increasingly sensitive matter in the US, where bosses can earn huge sums even though their companies perform badly. In the ranking of 1,000 corporations, Dell scored 74.5 out of a possible 100. Other leading scorers were Microsoft and Reebok.