As Mr Montesinos went to ground, and the president hunted for him, Peruvians (and foreign diplomats) tried to work out exactly where the balance of power lay.

ECONOMIST: Peru

No one knows exactly what the right balance of debt and equity is in an economy, but the shrinkage of securitisation in particular makes it more likely that the process of deleveraging will overshoot.

ECONOMIST: Banks will still make money, just less of it

"He's always had this catlike ability to find his balance in the air and to know exactly how to move his body, while Steven has had to work at it, " says their father.

WSJ: Two Brothers, One Goal

Carlos Julio Emanuel, the finance minister, has promised to balance the budget, but won't say exactly how.

ECONOMIST: How not to please the IMF

Exactly how much cost drug companies can wring out of their balance sheets as patents expire is one of the key questions facing the pharmaceutical industry as they head over what analysts are calling the patent cliff.

FORBES: Lipitor Factory Is One Pfizer Casualty

So, on the surface, at least, the balance of power in Washington after inauguration day on 20 January could be almost exactly the same as it is now.

BBC: Gauging the fiscal cliff