tangible products. It's funny that Credit Default Swaps are considered "investing" and the profit from fees derived from these play some part of the GDP. Because, they in reality are nothing but gambling instruments that artificially raise the asset/balance sheets of those playing the game and thus put crap into the GDP that doesn't reflect the real economy. The "value" of these instruments far exceed the tangible value of all goods in the world. (And I wonder if influence of the stock market should be greatly reduced in the GDP as well.)I would posit that a financial instruments-less GDP would be significantly lower than the 3.2% increase announced last week. Yes! Regarding per-capita GDP, it quite surprises me to see the US per capita GDP continuosly maintain its fixed proportion higher than Canada's despite a) zero in-country damage in Canada from the CDO fiasco as Cdn regulatoras wouldn't let the banks invest in them b) the Cdn currency has appreciated from eg. 65% of US to 100% of US. c) a continuously degrading trade balance in USA, not in Canada. These three factors SHOULD have seriously narrowed the per-capita GDP gap as cited in CIA Factbook 2003 to 2009, yet the effect is completely invisible. What's going on? And the GOM mitigation and clean up efforts. That will add to the GDP. Take it for the unexamined facetious statement that it is because when the pluses and minuses are added up also including other production that has been lost, it