In the fifth edition of this guide I questioned whether the economic outlook would remain as favourable as in previous years and whether, among other things, the restructuring taking place in banks was a sign of potential economic turbulence. We do not need to wonder any longer, albeit that no one imagined that over the past 18 months we would witness what commentators are now calling 'The Great Recession'. Fundamentally, this phenomenon has been characterised by two massive shocks to the global economy.