Ginkgo, inspired by the do-it-yourself ethos of Squid Labs' Saul Griffith, will sell these standardized genetic parts dried onto sheets of paper or in vials to big companies that want to make new drugs, plastics and petroleum replacements.

FORBES: Do-It-Yourself Life

This rule (which went into effect near the 2007 market top and was suspended near the 2009 bottom) vastly magnified subprime mortgage weakness, effectively forcing banks into near self-perpetuating rounds of asset writedowns, putting pressure on bank balance sheets until they had to sell more liquid assets to meet capital requirements.

FORBES: Sue S&P, Sue Everybody

But if there are no buyers, banks may have to sell something else to shore up their balance sheets.

ECONOMIST: The crisis of confidence

Throughout 1999, however, South Korea's government appeared determined to force the chaebol to sell assets, reduce debt, produce more transparent balance sheets, and appoint independent directors to their boards.

ECONOMIST: A survey of Asian business

Banks' balance-sheets are clogged with toxic junk precisely because they are unwilling to sell the stuff at prices hedge funds and other private investors are willing to pay.

ECONOMIST: Saving the banks

Following reports that Cyprus may be selling 400mm euros worth of its gold reserves to help finance its own fiscal problems, many are concerned that other European central banks will begin to sell-off their gold positions to better position themselves to fortify their own sovereign balance sheets.

FORBES: What To Make Of The Dramatic Drop In Gold Prices

Those firms with ailing balance sheets will fall farther and farther behind until they are seized by the feds or sell to a stronger firm at a discounted price.

FORBES: Danger In Discover

So there is a powerful incentive to sell higher-grade but lower-yielding loans, with a subsequent decline in the quality of banks' balance sheets.

ECONOMIST: ��Structured finance�� can bring unstructured losses