While the economy has improved from the depths of the Bush Recession of 2008, things are not back where most businesses and governments would like them to be. One of the more interesting responses to the continuing economic doldrums that I have read about is the age old art of bartering. According to the International Reciprocal Trade Association (IRTA), the ongoing economic slump has encouraged companies to offset shrinking orders and ongoing skimpy credit from financial institutions to put excess products to use by bartering them. A recent article in the Financial Times (FT) by reporter Alicia Clegg, entitled “The art of good bartering”, further piqued my interest.