1.The economics profession must bear a lot of the blame for the current crisis. If it is to become useful again it must undergo an intellectual revolution—becoming both broader and more modest. Goodbye, homo economicus

2.By one definition, a 21% rise in the Dow index makes this a three-week old bull market. The rapid change of heart might indicate that lessened financial stress will soon bring happier times. But even if panic is no longer called for, sharp profit falls could restrain enthusiasm. Bull market looks premature (Registration Required)

3.While we routinely mourn the disappearance of the small storefront, we rarely ask what happens to the texture of a city when a big-box store closes shop.What should we make of empty big-box stores?

4.Times are tough in Korea and they are bound to get even tougher as the country gets whiplashed by the global financial crisis. Kim Bong Suk, the chief economist at Shinhan Bank’s Future Strategy & Business Development Institute, discusses with The Asset what this means in terms of capital…  In dire straits

5.The world’s 11th-largest economy is still attracting international interest, though not everyone is dancing for joy as Brazil poises for more growth. Emerging markets: The Brazilian play

Photo: A beach in Maldives