Economics and Investing:

This piece, sent to us by Damon S., should come as no surprise to SurvivalBlog readers: The Dollar Collapses; Commodities, stocks and foreign currencies all rise as investors sell dollars. As I’ve stated before, the magic number to watch for on the US Dollar Index (USDI) is 72. The territory south of 72 is terra incognita. “There Be Dragons.”

Phil G. sent this: Swiss topple U.S. as most competitive economy

U.S. ‘unlikely’ to recoup auto outlay, panel finds

Lack health coverage? You may pay; “Americans would be fined up to $3,800 for failing to buy health insurance under a plan that circulated in Congress on Tuesday as President Barack Obama met Democratic leaders to search for ways to salvage his health care overhaul.”

From Damon: China Moves to Internationalize Currency

Items from The Economatrix:

Rising Commodities Push Industrial Stocks Higher

Oil Pushes Higher on Weakening Dollar

McDonald’s Sales Growth Slows in August

A Year After the Financial Crisis, the Consumer Economy is Dead

Economic 9-1-1: Did Lehman Bros. Fall or Was it Pushed?

Ambrose Evans-Pritchard: China, Bernanke, and the Price of Gold

Wall Street to Cash in on Death