<\/p>\n
– The Dow Jones Industrial Average closed at about 12,400.
\n– The New York-based Conference Board said its consumer confidence index was at 110.3.<\/p>\n– The Bureau of Labor Statistics had the unemployment rate at 4.6%<\/p>\n
– According to CNN a gallon of gasoline, in January 2007, averaged about $2.20.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<\/li>\n
That was then. This is now [September 2008]:
\n– Last Thursday at about 1 pm Eastern, the Dow had hit a bottom of about 10,500 before Secretary of the Treasury Henry Paulson and the Chairman of the Federal Reserve Ben Bernanke intervened. That is a drop of about 15% in the Dow from two years ago.
\n– The Conference Board’s latest take on the pulse of consumer confidence had it at a very thready 56.9 in August – a drop of about 48%<\/p>\n– The unemployment rate in August was reported at 6.1% by the BLS an increase of 33%.<\/p>\n
Gasoline prices are at about $3.70 a whopping 68% jump.<\/li>\n<\/blockquote>\n<\/li>\n What’s changed?
\nRep. Barney Frank (D-Ma) and Sen. Chris Dodd (D-Ct) took control of the House and Senate Banking Committees.
\nRep. George Miller (D-Ca) and Sen. Ted Kennedy (D-Ma) took over their respective Labor Committees.<\/p>\nRep. John Dingell (D-Mi) and Sen. Jeff Bingaman (D-NM) became chairs of the Energy Committees.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n