However, when the government announced that it will shell out some money ($17.4 billion) to save the GM and Chrysler, most of the stock markets today in Asia dipped. It seems that this bailout is not effective anyway in easing the already turbulent global situation. But what is apparent is that the auto industry bailout is not actually what makes the world worry. How the ongoing financial crisis will be solved is the most troubling issue. In fact, how will the U.S. economy recover is the main cause of concern among the businessmen.

BusinessWeek has just released its list of the world’s most influential companies. What can be seen from this list is that the usually dominant companies such as Procter & Gamble, General Electric and even the once-venerated Lehman Brothers were no longer included. Newcomers like Facebook and Google are noticeable. But what is more noticeable is the inclusion in the list of companies from emerging markets such as China Mobile, Li & Fung Ltd. and Huawei, mostly Chinese companies. Wal-Mart seems to be the best performing company this year, topping BusinessWeek’s list, aside from clinching the No. 1 spot in Fortune’s list for several years already.

The name of the game appears to be changing. The formerly unshakeable and industry-leading firms are slowly bowing down to newcomers with fresher marketing strategies and dynamic management plans.

General Motors is to announce the release of tis redesigned Chevrolet Equinox. The 2010 Equinox will debut at the North American International Auto Show next month. Well, nothing is quite intriguing about this new product. It just means that GM is still in the business. However, this will certainly give rise to the question, is GM really troubled? The company has been asking for financial aid from the government. The automaker said its financial chest is drained out. But with the release of the new and redesigned Equuinox, GM seems to be still on the right track. So, would it really need financial help from the government? is it really worth to shell out taxpayers’ money to this company?

It seems that the bailout plan worked, at least in the case of Morgan Stanley. However, the bailout package should be the last to be approved by the government. In the future, the government should not use the taxpayers’ money to rescue the ailing companies, whose failure were of their own doings. And the lesson that can be learned on this financial crisis is that banks should be more careful in introducing new products. Complex and risky financial products now proved to be unhealthy investments.

Chrysler is usually stopping its production every year, around Dec. 24 to January 5, but this year’s one-month production stoppage is certainly a cause of concern. The company said they have to lenghten the production stoppage to ease the impact of the credit crunch, which affected the auto maker’s sales records and even the performance of the entire automobile industry.

In fact, even its competitors cannot stand the impending collapse of GM. Giant automobile manufacturers such as Toyota Motor, Honda Motors and other auto makers said if the Big 3 will fold down, the automobile industry will be greatly affected. Competition for the already shrinking market will become stiffer as new players will enter the market. The Big 3’s failure will also affect the auto parts suppliers as this will lead to their bankruptcies due to the collapse of their biggest clients, the Big 3.

EDF is a large nuclear operator, if not the largest operator in the world. The offer can be seen as a daring move on the part of the French. It seems that the French company wants to penetrate the U.S. utility market and maintain its status as a dominant nuclear plant operator in the globe. Will this be a prelude to more foreign investors buying up American companies?