JustThinking.us

This really is pretty incredible.

Ben Bernanke spoke today in his capacity as Chairman of the United States Federal Reserve.

In fifteen short minutes having used the phrase "quantitative easing" just once, the price of Gold spiked from $1274 per ounce to $1288.

Thanks again to Clusterstock who have had the good stuff about every day for the past two weeks.

From Zero Hedge's Tyler Durden.

Seriously.

I'm not entirely sure where the above link is going to end up taking you.

Zero Hedge is pretty clear that they don't really care that much whether you're reading them or not.

I'm a member, it took a week or ten days to hear back from them.

They finally informed me that I seemed cool since I was human and hadn't nagged, so I could join.

The writing is different from any you'll read anywhere else.

It's probably mostly a site for trader/speculator types.

It can get a little deep.

My only concern is that I am in violation of the first rule of Zero Hedge.

Regardless, I recommend it.

As we said before Clusterstock is on a roll.

This is last weeks news, it still "hits you in the gut" as Mr. Weisenthal says in his two line blurb.

The actual language in the U.S. Census Bureau's press release reads as follows:

The poverty rate in 2009 was the highest since 1994, but was 8.1 percentage points lower than the poverty rate in 1959, the first year for which poverty estimates are available.

The number of people in poverty in 2009 is the largest number in the 51 years for which poverty estimates are available.
In 2009, the family poverty rate and the number of families in poverty were 11.1 percent and 8.8 million, respectively, up from 10.3 percent and 8.1 million in 2008.
The poverty rate and the number in poverty increased across all types of families:

married-couple families (5.8 percent and 3.4 million in 2009 from 5.5 percent and 3.3 million in 2008);

female-householder-with-no-husband-present families (29.9 percent and 4.4 million in 2009 from 28.7 percent and 4.2 million in 2008)

and for male-householder-no-wife-present families (16.9 percent and 942,000 in 2009 from 13.8 percent and 723,000 in 2008).

Clusterstock Chart of the Day is on a roll.

Here's a simple comparison or 10 year returns by asset.

Gold returns 100 times the S&P 500 from August 2000 to August 2010.

Click on the chart to go to the story.

From EconomPicData with analysis from The Street.

EconomPicData operates a little like we do around here.

The difference being that we are a lot more random, Jake is primarily interested in ... well? ... economic data ... pics.

Recommended.

The New York Federal Reserve's key manufacturing index that measures activity in the New York region came up short Wednesday morning.

The Empire State Manufacturing Survey index dropped 3 points to 4.1 for early September, after rising 2 points for a reading of 7.1 in August.

Economists expected the index to decline to a reading of 6.4, according to Briefing.com, though any reading above zero indicates growth.

Casey Research posts the following chart the title of which explains it all.

Click on the chart to link to the analysis that comes with it.

Here's a nice comparative chart from Chart of the Day.

It's pretty much self explanatory.

The chart links to the page from which it was taken if you want to read the two para discussion that it comes with.

The Roanboy sent this home from college.

It's been hit already about 1,500,000 times, so maybe you've seen it.

We had not.

The Little Wiffer, now bored with her total domination of Action Potato, is presently alternating between Harvard Sailing Team vids and her relentless pursuit of world dominance on Farmville.

The Harvard Sailing Team.

Boys will be Girls. 

Never would we have predicted the fan base for Eleanor Roosevelt.

Whooda thunk it!!!!!!

She's never been on Dancing With The Stars or anything.

So, just to prove that even highly moral and intellectual types much like ourselves are not above shameless pandering.

Here's our other favorite quote from Mrs. Franklin Delano Roosevelt.