egypt demonstrations

Political turmoil in the Middle East keeps growing, with the ouster of Egyptian president Hosni Mubarak, rebellion in Libya and riots in Bahrain. It's no wonder that businesses with investments in those countries are feeling nervous. And that's benefiting purveyors of political-risk insurance, who are seeing premiums rise.

Egypt's famed antiquities and tourism sites are reopening following the political unrest there. But heeding warnings from Washington, many American travelers are steering clear of the region for now -- disrupting the tourism industry in both the U.S. and Egypt.

While much of the attention has focused on Mubarak's dictatorship, most Americans don't realize that -- before the recent political turmoil -- he'd actually been winning international kudos for his handling of the economy.

With protesters swarming the streets of Egypt, its stock market has taken a hit. But discount the doomsday scenarios. The sell-off could provide a good entry point for investors with the stomach to endure until things turn around, which seems more likely than most now expect.

Have social networks like Twitter, Facebook and YouTube become the weapons of revolution? Egypt's president shut down the Internet on Friday to try to calm the protests rocking the country. But while the Internet may be an enabler of the demonstrations, it's not the cause of the discontent.