• Spain and France floated bonds at higher yields today, as talk of contagion weighs on markets. Sale of Spanish 10 yr bonds required a yield of almost 7%, 1.5% higher than the average auction this year. From Reuters News.
• The World Gold Council reported that central bank purchases of the metal soared in the 3rd quarter to 148.4 metric tons from 66.5 tons in q2. Concern over the sovereign debt crisis is assumed to be the driver behind the increase. From the Financial Times
• The Treasury reported yesterday that foreign central banks increased their holdings of U.S. treasuries in September in response to the sovereign debt crisis. The central banks added $38B in their holdings in the month. From the Wall Street Journal.
• Google launched its music offering in an effort to leverage the Android market, and try to take share from Apple and Amazon. From Reuters News.