“Investing in Libyan stocks may sound like an absurd idea at a time when the North African country is descending into chaos and armed militias seize oil ports or ministries at will. Despite the turmoil, Libya is a potentially rich nation, sitting on Africa’s largest proven oil reserves. Western brands such as Nike and Marks & Spencer have set shop in the same upmarket Tripoli district as the stock market. The Libyan bourse is tiny even by regional standards with a market value of around $3 billion, compared with its Cairo counterpart’s $70 billion and Casablanca’s $50 billion. Libya’s chaos knocked the market down by 25 percent in 2013; it has lost some 40 percent since its 2007 launch.”
http://www.reuters.com/article/2014/02/23/us-libya-bourse-idUSBREA1M00820140223