This will set off a flurry of restructuring in Europe's biggest but worryingly sluggish economy, because German companies' balance sheets contain huge hidden reserves derived from long-term holdings of shares in other companies.

ECONOMIST: Now for the big push? | The

At the same time, they will have to adopt marked-to-market valuations for all their tradable securities, putting an end to the hidden-reserves era of corporate accounting.

ECONOMIST: Worse to come

As the extraction of the seemingly endless tundra's hidden wealth of mineral reserves has become increasingly lucrative, fresh plans for a massive expansion in mining and smelting operations by giant companies has emerged.

BBC: NEWS | Business | Metals boom sparks Kola nature fears