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Americans are spending less; no surprise there. Figures out this week from the Commerce Department's Bureau of Economic Analysis show that in April overall consumer spending was down 0.1% from the month before. People are now saving 5.7% of their disposable income, the most since 1995 and a cosmic increase from the zero-savings days of just a few years...
...Baltic Dry Index is the worldwide benchmark for shipping rates of raw materials, and it has registered some eye-popping gains over the past month. The London-based index registered its 23rd straight daily gain on Wednesday, closing at 4,291, its highest mark since September and the longest streak of gains since July 2006. Daily rates for the largest Capesize ships, which typically carry iron ore, rose 6.8% on Wednesday to $93,197. Just five months ago, daily ship-rental rates were hovering just above $2,000, about the price of a great seat on opening...
...Asustek Computer, the company that practically invented the netbook category when it launched the Eee PC 701 in 2007 for $400, also has a model with an 11.6-in display. The Eee PC Seashell 1101A will sell for around $599 when it debuts this month. And, taking a cue from popular touch-screen mobile phones, the Taiwanese company introduced the Eee PC Touch T91, which has a rotating display that responds to touch commands. It goes on sale in July for around...
...possible to glimpse the outlines of a Grand Deal among insurers, providers, business, labor and patients that would put most of its focus on lowering costs and establish a foundation for expanding coverage in years to come. The two key Senate committees expect to begin writing legislation this month, with the House also moving forward in coming weeks with what is expected to be a more liberal version. The Democrats' goal is for both chambers to pass their versions by the end of the summer, work out their differences in the fall and have a bill on Barack Obama...
...late afternoon, Obama was making the rounds of the Landstuhl Regional Medical Center, the central clearinghouse for the wounded and sick among America's overseas military. In an average month, between 600 and 800 new patients are admitted, landing on planes at nearby Ramstein Air Force Base. Since the initial U.S. invasion of Afghanistan in 2001, the hospital has treated 10,820 battle wounded. While Obama toured the grounds, the public-address system played a children's nursery chime. It signaled that a woman at the hospital had just given birth; soldiers say it happens all the time. (See pictures...