Wall Street giant takes over Panama Canal

A file photo of a ship traversing the Panama Canal on July 10, 2024. The canal is now owned by BlackRock, a giant American asset manager. — Federico Rios/The New York Times

US President Donald Trump had been hammering Panama for weeks over its most valuable asset, the Panama Canal, saying, without evidence, that China operated the waterway. There seemed to be no way Panama could get Washington off its back.

Now, Wall Street has intervened.