In war, it is said that amateurs talk tactics, while professionals talk logistics.
It may be the case with financial crises too, which makes the
FDIC decision to sign a lease for a lot of office space in Southern California very interesting.
Of course, the tactical developments, like investors taking losses in excess of 90% on complex financial instruments attached to Lehman and Iceland is still interesting, even if just a tactical development.
In currency, the dollar has hit a 2 year high on concerns of a coming recession.
I think that this is temporary. People are fleeing to the dollar in times of trouble out of habit which is not justified by the reality.
In any case, recession fears pushed oil to a 16 month low.
BTW, here is a very nice primer on the financial crisis: