Caldari Analysts Predict Economic Upheaval

Jita - The consensus among analysts at an economics conference this week is that the Caldari State has a rough ride ahead, with recent gains by the Gallente militia forces throwing a wrench in the works for many megacorporations.

Soon after the Caldari militia completed its conquest of the systems making up the Federal Defense Cordon last year, the Caldari Providence Directorate auctioned off development rights to the affected constellations. The megacorporations involved in the bidding believed the high prices were justified by the acquisition of highly valuable assets, but the recent push by the Federal Defense Union and allied capsuleer corporations has driven them out of many systems.

This week's Economic Sustainability and Co-operation Conference was hastily reorganized to focus on this issue, with most delegates agreeing that the impact will likely be significant. Yarin Mesla, an analyst for Expert Housing, said, "The megas are keeping their numbers very close to their chest, but it's hard to see how this can be good for any of them. We all know the rough magnitude of the winning bids, and they can't possibly have made back their investments already." Others were quick to point out the political implications. Mercantile Club analyst Ridd Gerin said, "It's hard not to look at the list of six remaining auctioned systems and notice that five of them belong to SuVee. Sure, they've probably taken a hit, but if they can hold onto what they have left, it will still shift power in the State slightly in favor of the Practical faction."

Others were a little more guarded in their comments. An anonymous delegate from Lai Dai would only say that, "[The Gallente militia] have taken back some systems, sure, but it remains to be seen if they can hold onto them."