India’s central bank bought 200 tons of the gold from the International Monetary Fund; the US unemployment rate has broken 10 percent for the first time since 1983; and the Federal Open Market Committee is continuing to hold interest rates at or near zero. All of these factors add up to higher gold prices.

Yesterday’s euphoria over a better-than-expected GDP reading gave way to reality after today’s release of sobering consumer spending data.

Markets posted strong gains early in the week amid better-than-expected earnings, but lost steam as economic data served as a reminder of the economy’s trouble spots.

The Dow Jones Industrial Average broke 10,000 this week for the first time in just over a year as both JP Morgan Chase (NYSE: JPM) and Intel (NSDQ: INTC) reported better- than-expected earnings. The banking giant earned 82 cents per share in the third quarter, while Intel’s earnings beat analysts’ expectations by $1 billion.

Alcoa (NYSE: AA) kicked off earnings season with some good news, but stocks could be volatile next week depending on how some key names fared in the third quarter.

Economic data provided plenty of ups and downs this week. Here are the highlights.

Real estate markets showed continued signs of improvement, with the government’s home price index data released Tuesday up 0.3 percent in July.

Investors of all stripes can use mutual funds to their advantage. But in many cases the asset managers that actually run the fund are excellent investment options in it of themselves.

The economy appears to be on the mend, though inflation remains a threat.

All signs continue to point to a stabilizing US economy, with moderate growth potential in coming months.