Finance & economics

The fashion for “tracking stocks”

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GOOD ideas seldom go uncopied. The same is often true of dubious ones. On July 27th Alcatel, a French maker of telecoms equipment, announced plans to issue a “tracking” share that will follow its optical-components business. If shareholders approve the issue (they are to vote next month), it will be the first tracking stock outside America.

This article appeared in the Finance & economics section of the print edition under the headline “The fashion for “tracking stocks””

The electric revolution

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