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By The Numbers

Gold takes a tumble

Marketplace Staff Jul 20, 2015
3 weeks

That’s how long Greek banks will have been effectively shut down, re-opening on Monday after difficult negotiations regarding the country’s debt. As reported by the BBC, the former $66-a-day cash withdrawal limit now becomes a weekly limit of $460. 

5 metric tons

That’s how much gold was sold on the Shanghai Gold Exchange during early morning trading in Asia. It’s a large amount to be sold in a two-minute window when you consider 25 tons is the normal amount traded in an entire day. Monday saw gold trading down 1.9 percent, falling to a low not seen since 2010. As the Wall Street Journal reports, analysts site a couple possible culprits: China’s central bank issued data that show its reserves missed estimates by about half, and information that led some to believe that a big fund would be selling its holdings. Also cited was the expected rise in U.S. interest rates.

3 years

That’s how long Mary Keith spent in medical school — as opposed to the customary 4 years — before starting her residency. Keith benefits from a program in Savannah, Georgia, that is aiming to attract more potential doctors to primary care by fast-tracking them through medical school, thereby lessening potential student debt.

37 million

That’s how many users are on AshleyMadison, a website that helps cheating spouses arrange affairs. Services like these thrive on secrecy, which is why the news of a breach by a group calling itself “The Impact Team” could be potentially disastrous. As TechWorld reports, the group is demanding the service be taken offline, or else it will publish the names and account information of users of the site. 

80 million

That’s how many customers of Anthem Blue Cross Blue Shield had their personal information stolen in a hack earlier this year. It’s why next year, the company will offer credit monitoring and fraud detection to most members. The new service comes with a hefty cost for Blue Cross Blue Shield, but some analysts point out that it will probably be less than having to pay for an inevitable class action law suit.

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