Which of the Following Statements Concerning the Merchant Class of the Byzantine

Which of the following statements concerning the merchant class of the Byzantine Empire is most accurate?

A) Because of its lack of export products, Byzantine commerce was controlled completely by foreign merchants.
B) Byzantine merchants, because of their wealth, rapidly became the most powerful force in the government of Constantinople and the empire.
C) The Byzantine merchant class never recovered from the loss of territories to the Muslims and was not a significant factor within the empire.
D) There was a large and wealthy merchant class in the Byzantine Empire, but it never gained significant political power because of the power of the bureaucracy.