From Holden:
The big money managers who steer billions of dollars in investments around the world reckon U.S. Senator John Kerry might just beat President George W. Bush in November but it is non-Americans who give him the best chance.
As part of a monthly poll of fund managers — usually geared to gather views on economic growth or corporate profits — investment bank Merrill Lynch added a question about who would win the U.S. presidential election.
As in most current election polls, the race came out close. By 41 percent to 37 percent the nearly 300 respondents, who together manage around $940 billion in investments, said Kerry, the Democrat, would beat Bush, the Republican. The rest did not know.