Economically painful consumer sandwich…Americans and Brits in the same sinking boat. No coincidences in oil production, comrade…prices that wear booster rockets. Could Skodas make a play in the United States…the high price of food riots…and more!

Big Gordon Brown ‘had a word’ with the chiefs of Britain’s biggest banks yesterday. “Pass on the Bank of England interest rate cut, boys!” I imagine he menaced. Today we’re presented with clear evidence of Brown’s skills as a persuader.

Back in October – when gold was trading at only $770 an ounce – I told Money Morning readers that the “yellow metal” was looking like a very good bet

Three million new homes by 2020? Absolutely no chance. Here’s why Gordon is crippling the housing industry. Owners of luxury flats mugged by their drug-addled neighbors, building plans altered to save crayfish and scraps of old wallpaper, developer’s cash siphoned off to help struggling sculptors, a planning process that is slow, creaky, unpredictable and bizarre.

Will there be a cut at all? Looks like a half-point is out. Gold continues to confuse – here’s how you can buy it cheaply ahead of the next leg higher. Will margin calls lead the property market lower?

The doves are out in force. The Bank of England’s Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) meets tomorrow, and an interest rate cut is most definitely on the agenda.

Three things have been said recently that have all really got on my wick. Since one of the benefits of being a writer is that it enables me to get things off my wick: here they are.