United States

• Third quarter growth in the U.S. was primarily from national defense spending and inventory build up. Valeo Financial Advisors
• In October, U.S. incomes were unchanged and consumer spending fell 0.2% Bloomberg
• How Would the Fiscal Cliff Affect Typical Families in Each State? MAP: Tax Foundation

Around the Globe

• How, in 5 years time, Spain’s unemployment rate went from 8% to the current 25% SL
• The OECD cuts expected 2013 economic growth rate to 1.4% (for group of 34 wealthy nations). Down from 2.2% it had forecast in May The Financial Times

Personal Finance

• In mid-2008 there were ~500 million credit cards in the U.S. Today there are 382 million (lowest number since 2000) Chart: Federal Reserve Bank of New York
• Growth in college tuition fees vs growth in full-time earnings for graduates, Chart: Citi
• About 20% of all mortgages in Nevada are 90+ days late. National average is around 7% Chart: Federal Reserve Bank of New York

Miscellaneous

• Why the share of $100 bills in circulation has been going up for over 40 years Quartz