Nonetheless, the evidence suggests that many western companies are wasting money in their lemming-like rush into global electricity.

ECONOMIST: Intoxicated by power

Our cover story on Carlsberg three years ago focused on the Danish brewer's inability to join the consolidation rush in the global beer market.

FORBES: Another Look

Reid, Waxman and Rush argue that global warming caused Hurricane Sandy.

FORBES: Harry Reid, Shawshank Redemption, And The Invention Of A Phony Global Warming Scare

There is another challenge less emphasized in recent media coverage: The global goal rush can present dire political and physical risk as companies seek mother lodes in dangerously unstable nations.

FORBES: Gold: A Global Risk Management Challenge

Essentially, the city is now the size it was before the gold rush that transformed it into a global automotive capital.

FORBES: Detroit's New Emergency Manager Keeps Bankruptcy Card In His Deck

Less remarked upon are a stunning buildup of extra dollars at corporations and central banks, the rush to gold, signs of rising inflation and accelerating global growth.

FORBES: Malpass to Bernanke: Hike! Hike! Hike!

That means it will be even bigger than NYSE Euronext, the first and, at least for a short while, the biggest trans-Atlantic financial markets deal. (See: "New York Now, Euronext") Their merger was part of a global stampeded by exchanges to either find partners, or be left isolated in the rush to consolidate.

FORBES: Nasdaq Takes The Nordic Route