[expat_panama]

...Since the dawn of mankind, it is the best system...

We know that philosophically and intuitively but there's archeological evidence of that too.  Neanderthal digs showed groups of beings with organized families and teams, they used tools, and they even buried their dead with respect and honor.  A big difference between them and the first modern people (aka 'Cro-Magnon') was that these new sites would also have things that came from many hundreds of miles away --obsidian, rare hides, etc. in contrast to the Neanderthal's use of only whatever they found outside.

You nailed it, commerce began at the dawn of mankind.

[expat_panama]

	Markets		Yesterday'x Action		Futures (2-1/2 hrs. before the bell)
	metals		Inching back down w/ gold $1,177 & silver $15.66		-0.06%
	stocks		...(from here)  "...continues advance...  ...S&P 500 rose 0.4% to a new closing high. It's just about a point away from its Dec. 5 all-time high..."  Volume plunged --but that's compared to Fridays soaring 'options expire vol. & this weeks holidays.		+0.10%

HUGE pre-holiday document dump:

Durable Orders
Durable Goods -ex transportation
GDP - Third Estimate
GDP Deflator - Third Estimate
FHFA Housing Price Index
Michigan Sentiment - Final
Personal Income
Personal Spending
PCE Prices - Core
New Home Sales
 

--and the news is hoppin' too:

• Asian stocks rise on 'Santa rally' after Wall St record   The Seattle Times
• European Stocks To Follow Wall Street Higher   RTT News
• Railroads seek one-person crews for freight trains OMAHA, Neb. (AP) — When American freight trains delivered cargo after World War II, the steam-belching beasts commonly had seven people aboard — an engineer, a conductor, up to four brakemen and a fireman. Associated Press
• Gold is heading toward a critical point: Charts As gold finishes out a rocky year, its chart is heading toward critical development point, and the yellow metal may fall below $1,000 an ounce. CNBC
• Did the U.S. Kick North Korea Off the Internet? Dec. 22 –- Bloomberg’s Jordan Roberston discusses North Korea’s loss of access to internet networks. Bloomberg Video
• E-books 'damage sleep and health' If you curl up under the duvet with an e-book for a bedtime read then you are damaging your sleep and maybe your health, US doctors have warned. BBC News
• Exclusive: Arab OPEC sources see oil back above $70 by end-2015 Reuters - 3 hours ago ABU DHABI (Reuters) - Arab OPEC producers expect global oil prices to rebound to between $70 and $80 a barrel by the end of next year as a global economic recovery revives demand, OPEC delegates said this week in the first indication of where the ...
• U.S. Economy Pulling Away From Rest of the World As more Americans find jobs, they're willing to spend, priming the economy. Lower fuel and food prices are helping, too.
• Natural Gas Glut Isn't Deterring Southwestern Energy New York Times - 6:40am WONDERVIEW, Ark. - Across the giant Fayetteville shale gas field here, country roads that were clogged by truck traffic just a few years ago are empty again.