The bright side to the long darkness of the impending recession/depression is that whether cyclical, secular, or black swan event, these troughs form the valleys from which new periods of prosperity emerge.

The U.S. five-dollar bill is getting a makeover intended to frustrate counterfeiters and help people with poor eyesight.

Share prices on major exchanges in Asia and Europe fell sharply Monday, after Friday's deep decline on Wall Street increased fears that a recession may hit the United States.

Japanese stocks fell the most in a month on concern fallout from the U.S. mortgage market crisis is spreading to Japan's consumer lenders and a U.S. recession will extend the dollar's decline against the yen.

Senior Finance officials from the world's 20 major economies say they share responsibility for stabilizing rising commodity prices and are calling on countries with large foreign currency reserves to adopt more flexible exchange rates. The remarks came at the end of a two-day meeting in South Africa.

The British pound soared above US$2.05 Wednesday for the first time in 26 years. At 0750GMT, the British currency was quoted as US$2.0513 after trading as high as US$2.0548 earlier in the day.

The 13-nation euro rose Friday against the U.S. dollar, as traders looked ahead to economic reports from Washington for hints on future interest rate decisions. In morning trading, the euro bought US$1.3311, up from US$1.3307 in late New York trading the day before.

Gold steadied above $670 as a fall in the dollar against the euro increased the appeal of the metal as an alternative asset to the US currency.

Buoyed by sustained FII inflows into the equity market, the rupee recovered partially against the US currency in morning trade on Thursday.

In order for current world economic growth rates to continue, it is crucial to keep the United States dollar from falling rapidly while also avoiding a recession, says a United Nations report.

The rupee depreciated sharply to close above 41-mark at 41.28/30 against US currency on the back of hectic dollar short-coverings and firm dollar overseas amid weak capital markets.