The bottom line

Five states see unemployment of 12% or more

Five states—Michigan, Nevada, Rhode Island, Oregon, and California—posted unemployment rates of 12 percent or more in August. Michigan’s 15.2 percent jobless rate was the highest in the nation. In all, 27 states and the District of Columbia reported that unemployment rose in August.

CNN.com

Foreigners hold 43% of bonds issued by Treasury in 2009

Investors outside the U.S. have bought 43 percent of the $1.4 trillion in bonds issued by the Treasury so far this year; at this point last year, foreigners had purchased just 27 percent of U.S. bonds.

Bloomberg.com

Higher prices for pumpkins

It’s the great pumpkin shortage, Charlie Brown. A cool, damp summer in the Midwest and New England has decimated the U.S. pumpkin crop, leading to higher prices and shortages across the U.S. as Halloween approaches.

USA Today

IPOs make a comeback

In a sign that investors are finally regaining their appetite for risk, five initial public offerings are coming to market in the U.S. this week, the most IPOs since December 2007.

The Wall Street Journal

IRS extends amnesty program to 15 October

Tax dodgers now have until Oct. 15 to disclose their hidden assets in offshore accounts. The Internal Revenue Service decided to extend the deadline of its amnesty program by 22 days, because of the high volume of taxpayers coming forward. More than 3,000 taxpayers so far have admitted to hiding assets, up from 80 last year.

The New York Times