Pawnshops Thrive, Draw Scrutiny over Interest Rates

With banks reluctant to loosen purse strings and credit-card companies aggressively slashing credit lines, a growing number of consumers are turning to the once murky world of pawnshops for quick cash. “Loans are up 20% to 25%,” estimates David Crume, president of the National Pawnbrokers Association

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One Year After the Bailout, Greece is Still Hurting

Konstantinos Sourmelis, a 56-year-old technician for OSE, Greece’s state-owned railway, marched to central Athens on Wednesday to send parliament a simple message: Stop selling out the country. Like the thousands of other demonstrators who protested in the country’s latest general strike, Sourmelis accuses the government of scapegoating OSE and public utilities as part of its proposed privatization plan, the next in a string of attempts to raise the billions that Greece owes foreign creditors

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Libya’s Crisis: Bad News for Oil Prices, Economic Recovery

Even before its outcome is known, Libya’s uprising could leave an indelible mark on the world economy: oil prices have rocketed since Tuesday and could rise even further amid the continuing turmoil that has prompted thousands of foreign oil workers to flee. Libya’s oil output, typically 1.7 million barrels a day, has fallen by more than half since Tuesday, and its energy exports have ground to a complete halt

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