Economics and Investing:

I just noticed that the spot price of platinum has dipped to just $940 per ounce. Meanwhile, spot gold close at $1,089.40. Whenever you can buy platinum for less than gold, then it is a good time to hedge into some physical platinum! For the sake of recognizability in barter, my favorite platinum coins to buy are the 1/2-ounce and 1/4-ounce U.S. Liberty coins, from the U.S. Mint. It is best to buy them in PCGS or NGC slabs. – JWR

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Obamacare – The Gift That Keeps On Taking Sent in by J.Q.

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Items from Mr. Econocobas:

Items from Professor Preponomics:

When Debt Isn’t Called Debt: The Dirty Little Secret Inflating the Tech Bubble(Business Insider)

Subprime Auto Loans Sold Off to the Tune of $150+M (Zero Hedge)

Explosive Growth of Poverty in America: 21 Facts (Economic Collapse Blog)

Obamacare Hemorrhaging: Lawmakers Sound Alarm Over Failing Co-ops (Fox News)

Detroit Pension Funds To Be Investigated for Corruption(Huffington Post)

University Funding Looms as a Pressure Point in Illinois Budget Standoff (Chicago Tribune)

Senators Demand Answers on New Jersey’s Zombie Foreclosure Crisis (Housing Wire)

Unicredit’s New Business Plan Envisages 15,000 Lay-Offs (Reuters)

China Falters and Global Economy is Forced to Adapt (New York Times)