S&P names 3 US consumer staples companies to list

NEW YORK - Standard & Poor's Inc. included three U.S. consumer staples companies among 73 companies based in the United States that made its annual Global Challengers, a list released Wednesday of mid-sized companies that show the "highest growth characteristics." The 2008 version of the annual list includes companies from 33 countries, with more companies--76--coming from China than anywhere else, and the U.S. second. A total of 14 companies are listed from Hong Kong. Germany and Switzerland round out the top five, with 13 companies each. Just squeaking onto the list were Ireland, Indonesia, Spain and the Czech Republic, each with one company named. Regionally, 39 percent of the 300 are from Asia/Pacific nations, 30 percent from Europe, just over 29 percent from the Americas and less than 2 percent from the Middle East and... [read full story]