THE global economy is turning out to be like a house of Lego. The subprime mortgage crisis in the United States brought down giant companies like Bear Stearns, Fannie Mae, Freddie Mac and lately, Lehmann Brothers and the American International Group (AIG). The spreading bankruptcy in the American financial sector sent the world reeling.

Stock markets around the world reacted as if an earthquake had hit them. This included the Indonesian Stock Exch