NOVEMBER 15, 2001

The economy waits for news from Afghanistan

IT is a curious fact that the world's economy is currently hanging on what happens to a fugitive terrorist somewhere in the wastes of Afghanistan, but there is little doubt that this is the case. When rumors swept New York markets that Osama Bin Laden had been captured the dollar went up on the belief that the capture of Bin Laden would be a powerful boost to consumer confidence in the United States of America. The reports were later denied but there was also reports that US aircraft had bombed a meeting of members of bin Laden's al Qaeda terrorist network and that a number of people had been killed. The building was destroyed but it is not yet clear if Bin Laden was one of the victims.

As the Taliban power continued to collapse the organization claimed that Bin Laden would never be captured alive. The markets do not care one way or the other so long as Bin Laden is neutralized.