A new Round-Up has been posted at TOD:Canada.

As oil threatens to go through the roof over concerns that OPEC may not open the spigots, exploiting Canadian reserves is becoming far more expensive. The threat of labour disruption in the oil sands will only add to the problem.

An OPEC equivalent controlling future LNG trade is seen as a threat to US security, even as natural gas prices decline and the drilling sector consolidates in Canada.

Burnaby BC comes to terms with a long clean up after an oil spill, as the aftermath of a Japanese earthquake rattles the nuclear industry, and Ontario's nuclear troubles continue.

Risk aversion goes international as credit markets tighten around the world. Faced with threatened deals, banks are holding on to loans rather than hawking them to investors. The US sends another more senior figure to China to convince them to buy mortgage-backed securities. As bridge loans become pier loans in the developing credit crunch, Wall Street 'heads for the diaper aisle'.

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World-wide market meltdown, it's a Friday, and CNBC has hauled out the cheerleaders. The only surprise is they didn't roust Kudlow out of bed to come in and lead the Pep Rally. With Asian markets down 2.5%, the US Dollar in freefall, why would anyone want to stay in the market over the weekend is beyond me.