“The real danger — economically, socially or politically speaking — in the 1930s was loads of young men without jobs.”

Upbeat headlines have been everywhere in recent weeks, and they all seem to point to a single conclusion: The U.S. economy is in the early stages of a very rapid recovery.

The jobless rate hit a 26-year high of 9.5% last month – and many economists are betting for the jobless rate to hit 10%.

More range trading…  SNB doesn’t target the franc…  Norges Bank cuts rate but looks forward…  Buy your gold and Snickers! And Now… Today’s Pfennig!

Currencies get a tourniquet… BOE And ECB leave rates unchanged…Political uncertainty in the U.K…Aussie dollar to rally further? And Now… Today’s Pfennig!

In the currency market, the dollar slipped against the euro. Late Thursday, the euro was trading at $1.3633 vs. $1.3597 on Wednesday.

Didn’t a “stress test” used to be something you saw your doctor about when life became overwhelming? Today, this buzz-phrase is more often used as a measure of American banks’ financial strength (or lack thereof).  On the surface, you might think it’s good news that several banks fared quite well and “passed” the government’s recent stress test. But dig a little deeper and you’ll find that the banks being tested actually helped set the rules.  This could be a dangerous situation for those simply following the crowd into buying banks stocks, but unaware of the real story…

The BLS adds jobs…  Growing Deficits again… Jim Rogers….  A Trade Surplus for Canada… And Now… Today’s Pfennig!

In the currency market, the dollar crashed against the euro. Late Friday, the euro was trading at $1.3627 vs. $1.3403 on Thursday.

In the currency market, the dollar prolonged its slide against the euro. Late Thursday, the euro was trading at $1.3403 vs. $1.3341 on Wednesday.