Russia has made abundantly clear it wants Qatar to focus on Asia, to sell its gas under long-term contracts and stop feeding European spot market liquidity.

FORBES: Doha's Double Hedge

Sensible intervention cannot even buy long-term relief: the plan cannot stop house prices falling and the bloated financial sector shrinking.

ECONOMIST: America's bail-out plan

Also, the Fed was planning to stop buying medium- and long-term Treasurys in October, removing a large source of demand.

FORBES: On The Cover/Top Stories