With this same story unfolding in other commodity-exporting countries, along with continued currency weakness in Japan and Europe, there has been a steady rise in the global value of the U.S. dollar. Some observers have voiced concerns about the disruptive effects of excessive exchange rate variability and suggested that a stronger U.S. dollar could derail global growth.
*  *  *  Ladies and Gentlemen, It is only four weeks until the end of the year and we may safely say that 2008 to date has been more eventful than the past 2 or 3 years taken together!