Mr Salmond attributes the development substantially to policies pursued by the Scottish government: notably accelerated capital investment, access to finance and the stability involved in a guarantee of no compulsory redundancies in those areas of the public sector over which he has direct control.

BBC: Alex Salmond's Plan Macb

But unlike in 2007-8, everyone knows what could be done to restore confidence in the eurozone: if Germany made a clear and unambiguous statement that it was prepared to underwrite the eurozone's public finance, real stability would return to the eurozone much faster than it has evaporated, so long as the over-borrowed members of the eurozone stuck to realistic commitments to cuts deficits.

BBC: Can Merkel and Sarkozy turn the tide of markets?

Tripti Singh, one of the students who enrolled in the class, said she chose finance for the job stability.

WSJ: Late Shift: Foosball Over Finance

But it does not seem very likely, when the German finance minister keeps asserting the absolute necessity of price stability, and asserting that there is no "symmetry" between debtors and creditors in the eurozone.

BBC: Plan B for the eurozone?

Over the weekend, finance ministers from the advanced economies of the G7 pledged to secure stability of international markets in the wake of debt problems in the US and Europe.

FORBES: Connect

In a statement issued on Wednesday, the ministry of finance insisted the capital control measures were temporary and were needed to "safeguard the stability of the system".

BBC: Cyprus capital controls 'may last a month'

With an increasingly dense network of holdings in sectors ranging from telecoms and energy to finance and cement, Greece's business world is signalling its long-term commitment to the prosperity and stability of all its neighbouring states.

ECONOMIST: Good neighbours

The report claims that it would be in the interests of the rest of the UK - to promote trade, competitiveness and financial stability - that there should be co-operation on jointly managing the sterling currency and other policies on finance.

BBC: Scottish independence: Scotland 'should keep Sterling'