Economics and Investing:

Cost to Make Penny and Nickel Rises for US Mint. It now costs the U.S. Mint 9.22 cents to produce a nickel! Build your pile now, before the coin composition changes! (If you dawdle, then you’ll have to sort coins. And once the base metal value exceeds 2x face value, nickels will be driven out of circulation by the general public.)

Illinois Lawmakers Pass 66 Percent Income Tax Increase

Ben S. was the first of several readers to send this: Housing Market Slips Into Depression Territory

Items from The Economatrix:

S&P, Moodys Both Warn On US Credit

Hard Times In Illinois  

Long Shadows Cast Over US Economy 

FDIC Friday Follies: Regulators Shut Small Georgia Bank; Third This Year
 
Stock Indexes Gain For Seventh Straight Week