Are aliens buying Louis Vuitton handbags, the Economist asks. Here’s the fact that might make you think they have a point: Adding up all imports and exports worldwide should bring you to zero. In 2010 however, the entire world exported $331 billion more than it imported. So – super-rich Aliens aside – why is that? The Economist has the full story.

An interesting reasoning on why Charles Darwin should be seen as the intellectual father of economics, not Adam Smith.

Why are people so angry about the economy? One cartoon to rule them all.

So what exactly is it that the people on Wall Street (and increasingly elsewhere) are protesting against and how valid is their point? What’s behind catchy slogans like “We are the 99%” and #occupywallstreet? The Business Insider has gone the extra mile to compile a wealth of data on the state of the economy and the distribution of wealth. Those charts make for pretty good reasons to take to the streets.

“For classical economists, it was impossible to understand politics without economics or economics without politics.” This is the premise for George Friedman’s sharp state-of-the-world analysis. If you are, like me, increasingly overwhelmed by the current economic developments, this is the right article for you.