We all know the U.S. government is in debt up to its eyeballs. Moody’s is already threatening to downgrade the country’s debt rating due to unfunded liabilities for Medicare and Social Security.

With the London Stock Exchange closed and the Office for National Statistics shut, yesterday’s rainy Bank holiday Monday provided the perfect chance for us to look back at three stories that astounded us last week – but which somehow escaped without comment at the time.

The internet is playing wrecker ball to the once robust walls of the publishing business. A subject we’ve commented on before as newspaper subscriptions slide relentlessly taking circulation and advertising revenues with them.

Crisis, what crisis? An upbeat David Frost, director-general of the British Chamber of Commerce, reminds us there is commercial life beyond the hysterics of Canary Wharf trading screens.

Wading through more tales of woe from the high street… JJB Sports saw profits fall 28%; it’s closing 72 stores and laying off 800… The nation’s indebted…1m have an average £25k in unsecured debt…we find some good news today in the unemployment numbers.