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The Economist has discovered a fascinating apparent linkage between the sales of Ayn Rand's 1957 book, Atlas Shrugged and the announcement of major financial news. Generally, the economic crisis has been good for Rand's book. The Economist reports, "the book’s 30-day average Amazon rank was 127 on February 21st, well above its average over the past two years of 542." That is interesting data itself, and it makes sense The Economist cites a recently formed group on Facebook, "Read the news today? It’s like ‘Atlas Shrugged’ is happening in real life."

The Economist goes on to note, "with pirates hijacking cargo ships, politicians castigating corporate chieftains, riots in Europe and slowing international trade—all of which are depicted in the book—this melancholy meme has plenty of fodder." What is really interesting though is the way the sales spike with financial news, rising in response to interest rate cuts, bank bailouts and even the stimulus plan. The Economist has its theories, link to the full article here.

Labels: Predictions, thought