Breakfast of yore, when financial markets were giddy and always upbeat, was a rejuvenating moment as you ate a scone and read about the oodles of money pouring down on just about every merry soul. Now we’ve banned the financial pages from breakfast less we risk digestive failure from such happenings as Goldman Sachs’ alumnus Jon Corzine allegedly misappropriating $1.2 billion of client funds and Fitch Ratings warning about the potential demise of the Euro affecting U.S. banks.

For many commercial real estate investors, the global disruption caused by the Euro popped in between the well laid plans for acquisitions in 2H 2011 and hopes of a U.S. economic recovery. Indecisiveness about US economic prospects dismembered anyone underwriting vacant space or easy lease renewals.

The recent Fitch Ratings warning on banks is, like the ghost on the ramparts, fairly spooky: “US banks could be greatly affected if contagion continues to spread beyond the stressed European markets. Exposures to large European countries and banks are sizable.”