Acknowledgements

I am indebted to my fellow business journalists at many different organizations,who stream their information to me day and night.There is no way I could observe everything I need myself.I am particularly grateful to The Wall Street Journal,The Washington Post,The Associated Press,CNBC,Nightly Business Report,Bloomberg,The Washington Business Journal,the BBC and PBS for their assistance with matters of fact.

Shop Talk

Welcome to new readers in Australia and New York,where I advertised this week.My newsreel colleagues and I work constantly to keep you well-informed,so you can make the best decision for your circumstances.Among those contributing matters of fact to my own research are The Associated Press,Bloomberg,The Washington Post,BBC and MarketWatch,as well as CNBC and The Wall Street Journal.None of us works in a vacuum,which is ultimately for your benefit.I am grateful to all of my fellow business editors and writers for their continual inspiration and assistance.As we approach the U.S. elections,we notice how many polls there are today.The number of national polls has gone from 55 in 2004 to 177 in 2008,but the only poll that counts is the one taken in the voting booth.That is the one that will influence our businesses and investments.