Posted by Ryan Faughnder

For Marketplace, Thu., Aug. 11, 2011

What could be the next nation to lose its AAA credit rating from Standard & Poor’s? Speculators are putting the pressure on France to get its fiscal house in order. There is a way to measure people’s anxiety about the markets: the Market Volatility Index. Its inventor Robert Whaley explains how it works. Comedian Stephen Colbert’s super-PAC kicks things into gear with a commercial for Republican Texas Gov. and likely presidential candidate Rick Perry. Cisco Systems reports high earnings, but government austerity could hurt its bottom line. As we follow the markets up and down, social media outlets like Twitter become more prominent sources of information and misinformation. And China correspondent Rob Schmitz takes us on a tour of business’ signs translated – badly – into English. Stay tuned for Marketplace’s road show on Friday.

Here are the songs we played today:

• What’s Crazy – OddiseeBuy

• Pop Goes The World – GossipBuy

• This Is Our Lot – Wild BeastsBuy

• Fun Powder Plot – Wild BeastsBuy

• Chinatown – LunaBuy