A few of the more important reading items and links for October 9th :

• Should we bail out our kids? – Many young adults are heavily leveraged. Average student loans among the two-thirds of college undergraduates who have borrowed rose an estimated 5% in the past year alone, to $22,000, says the nonprofit Project on Student Debt; many also have credit-card debt.
• Buffett's GE and Goldman shares sink – Goldman and GE also sold Buffett a combined $8 billion in preferred shares that pay a 10 percent dividend, allowing his Berkshire Hathaway Inc. to earn $80
• Short Sell Ban is liftted – Gates found the targeted stocks posted a 12.9% median decline over the period, compared with a 17.8% drop for the Standard & Poor's 500 Index and a 23% decline for the Russell 2000 Index.
• Aftershocks Felt From Iceland – WSJ.com – Iceland's economy boomed in recent years, propelled by easy credit.
• Fed to save the Day? – Joint statement by central banks regarding global rate cuts.