By Andrew Snyder, TodaysFinancialNews.com

Baltimore — (TFN): Want to know when a specific trend has no legs? Simple, when the government backs it, you know its DOA.

Just ask the folks that dumped millions into the biofuels industry. I have never seen an industry fall off the map as quickly as ethanol, except maybe clean coal, but that’s a whole different story.

It’s a difficult question to ponder as the state of the world economy is so fragile. Right now, GDP growth stems exclusively from the government’s stimulus package. But once Obama and his cronies are finished fixing the economy, what will the fuel the next leg of the recovery?

While the many of the world’s economies continue to look for signs of growth, the U.S. economy took a big step in the right the direction in the second quarter.

Does “stimulus” really work? Does quantitative easing work? The historical record suggests not. So what brought us out of the Great Depression? The answer might surprise, even though it shouldn’t…  A grumpy President Obama says that the $787 billion dollar stimulus package “has worked as intended.”

Red ink flows…  Japan suggests diversification for their reserves…  Commodity currencies rebound…  Data galore for the rest of the week… And Now… Today’s Pfennig!

Fed Holds Funds Rate; Buffett: U.S. May Need More Stimulus; Jobs’ Liver Transplant Confirmed; Fewer Americans Traveling on 4th Despite Lower Gas Prices; Monsanto Profits Drop 14%; SEC Proposes New Rules for Money Market Funds; Recession Yields Fewer Millionaires

China’s stock market is back to where it was one year ago. But what exactly does that mean for your portfolio?The World Bank just upped China’s economic growth projection from 6.5 percent to 7.2 percent. If China’s economic rebound is real, it would open up all kinds of investment opportunities.

China imported record amounts of copper and iron ore in April as its mammoth stimulus program stoked its foundries and mills.  But the nation’s exports remained weak, leaving some to wonder how much longer the country can keep its economic fires lit without an increase in global consumption.

President Barack Obama sent lawmakers a budget package today (Thursday) that proposes to shrink or eliminate 121 federal programs and save almost $17 billion in the fiscal year that begins Oct. 1. But the budget plan contains cuts that will face vigorous opposition in Congress and fierce resistance from special interest groups.