Dell, perhaps to buy time to reinvent itself, rumbled with rumors of a leveraged buyout, with lots of questions floating about how founder Michael Dell would balance his interests.

FORBES: The Collapse Of Steve Jobs' Empire And Other Quaint Tales

Surprisingly, floating realignment might not only be designed for competitive balance.

FORBES: Innovative Ideas On The Horizon For MLB

The switch to floating exchange rates has helped to propel a dramatic turnaround in Latin America's balance of payments.

ECONOMIST: Latin America needs more reform. Now is a good time to do it

The idea was a cold-turkey cure for endemic balance-of-payments problems, turning economic management on its head by floating sterling and letting the market dictate the exchange rate.

ECONOMIST: Post-war Britain