EDITORS' PICKS: The world waits

Name your fears
Alan Kohler
The word 'recession' was dreamt up by economists and political leaders when they realised that the word 'depression' should be avoided, lest they worsen the situation or cause widespread panic.

Getting what it deserves
Robert Gottliebsen
The rapid descent of US economic prosperity is a direct result of partisan politics and stupidity. It's still going on now, even as the fate of its financial system hangs in the balance.

Where banks are just banks
Stephen Bartholomeusz
One of the reasons Australian banks have performed so admirably through the credit crisis is the relatively small amount of leverage they employed when compared with their international peers.

NAB swallows the spider
Tony Boyd
The bank's decision to enter into a series of complicated and expensive hedging contracts to offset the risks from a $1.6 billion portfolio of derivatives is certain to raise some eyebrows.

Goldman Sachs, Morgan Stanley at risk
Isabelle Oderberg
Some of the biggest US investment banks are not out of the woods yet, according to Christopher Whalen of Institutional Risk Analytics, who is predicting failed bank assets will reach $850 billion.

Solar collector
Giles Parkinson
Ausra, the energy company founded by Australian researcher David Mills, has successfully raised funds for an ambitious rollout of its solar-thermal technology.