Mercat Colon - Valencia, Spain

Noryangjin Fish Market, Seoul, South Korea

Chefchoaouen Bazaar

Medevial Market

Medevial Market

Al Ain

China Market

 
  China Market by Donato Scarano on 500px

Central Market

 
  Central Market by Donato Scarano on 500px

Cosmetic surgery boom in crisis-stricken Greece and Italy

While the Greek economy remains under the proverbial knife of the Troika, it appears the wealthy are unconcerned by the plight of their fellow countrymen. 

Der Spiegel reports that not only does Greece have the second highest rate of cosmetic surgery per capita in the world but thanks to a slumping economy, surgeons have cut prices by up to 40% while rich Greeks are never as before rushing to improve their looks.

Via Der Spiegel,

The economic crisis has forced thousands in Greece to rely on volunteers for even basic health care services.

Meanwhile, wealthier Greeks are having more facelifts and breast implants than anywhere in the world.

...

Every year, the International Society of Aesthetic Plastic Surgery (ISAPS) performs a survey of the number of plastic surgery procedures performed worldwide. When the numbers are compared to a country's population, the results are surprising for Greece. In 2011, 142,394 procedures were performed in the country, with its population of about 11 million. That means that, on average, one in 79 Greeks has had procedures such as liposuction, eyelid corrections and Botox injections performed on them. Worldwide, the Greeks rank only second to the South Koreans in terms of the number of cosmetic procedures performed per 1,000 inhabitants (see graphic). In Germany, with a population of about 81 million, there were 415,448 procedures in 2011, or one in about 200.

2011 was the year of the economic crisis, and yet Greece rose even higher in the international ranking. Looking good still seems to be important to the Greeks.

Market crash 'could hit within weeks', warn bankers

From The Telegraph:

A more severe crash than the one triggered by the collapse of Lehman Brothers could be on the way, according to alarm signals in the credit markets.
Insurance on the debt of several major European banks has now hit historic levels, higher even than those recorded during the 2008 financial crisis.
Credit default swaps on the bonds of Royal Bank of Scotland, BNP Paribas, Deutsche Bank and Intesa Sanpaolo, among others, flashed warning signals on Wednesday. Credit default swaps (CDS) on RBS were trading at 343.54 basis points, meaning the annual cost to insure £10m of the state-backed lender's bonds against default is now £343,540.
"I think we are heading for a market shock in September or October that will match anything we have ever seen before," said a senior credit banker at a major European bank. 

read more HERE
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Global Market Capitalization

China has just passed Japan as a percentage of total global market capitalization. Admittedly, this is crisis-driven, but the trend is clear and important.
Interesting to see how Spain even if in decline has moved above Italy which has lost considerably in the last 6 years, moving from one of the first 8 countries to an abysmal last among large economies.