Budweiser and the rest of the Anheuser-Busch empire now belong to a European company few on American soil have ever heard of. The $52 billion acquisition creates

the fourth-largest consumer product company for Belgian brewer InBev. The purchase of this iconic American brand is the latest example of foreign consortiums taking advantage of the weak dollar and gobbling up U.S. companies, says attorney DALLAS PARKER, who focuses on complicated mergers, acquisitions, corporate governance and related matters as managing partner of Thompson & Knight's Houston office.  In this case, Parker says the deal makes good financial sense for InBev not just because of the weak dollar. "Another factor is the value of the basic product. A product such as beer typically retains consumer demand even in an unstable economy," he says. To interview Mr. Parker about M&A trends, contact Barry Pound at 800-559-4534 or barry@androvett.com.