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That seemingly endless series of Times stories on the superrich got us thinking: Is this the start of a new trend? As it turns out, not exactly: Details covered very similar ground six months ago. But did fawning profiles of the obnoxiously wealthy really begin back in June? We sent Intern Mary on a quest back through the years in pursuit of superrich stories. The shocking results after the jump.

Mentions of the Superrich in Major Print Media Outlets Correlated To The Closing Price Of The Dow Jones Industrials (click to enlarge)

This image was lost some time after publication.

We've tabulated the results going back to 2003 set them in context to the closing price of the Dow. As this chart indicates, there was a brief flurry of superrich stories toward the end of that year, and then a tailing off. Interest returned as the Dow slipped close to 10,000 and the presidential election approached, but the stories really took off at the same time as the stock market did. If present trends continue, expect to see thousands stories about the difficulty of trading in your Boxster for a Bentley, many of which may even appear in publications other than The Times. Or Details.

List of Sources:

"Gilded Paychecks/Executive Pay" series begins...and doesn't cease
NY Times
4/29/06

"Revolt of the Fairly Rich"
Fortune
10/25/2006

"The New American Class System"
Details
May 2006

"Britain's Super-rich"
The Economist
10/19/2006

"Entrepreneur aims for place among super rich with retirement insurance firm"
Knight Ridder Tribune Business News
11/7/06

"Millionaire Fair Parades Russia's Super-Wealthy"
Chicago Tribune
11/3/06

"The Super Rich Get Richer: Forbes 400 are all Billionares"
Washington Post
9/22/06

"G2 Culture: Flights of Fancy"
The Guardian (London)
9/5/06

"Offshore tax cheats prevalent, report says: Government just can't keep up with schemes used by the super-rich"
Houston Chronicle
8/1/06

"Monaco: The tax haven that today's super rich City commuters call home: Rules from the steamship age allow UK entrepreneurs to enjoy financial advantages of the Riviera"
The Guardian (London)
7/10/06

"Super-rich don't pay estate tax"
Knight Ridder Tribune Business News
7/9/06

"Society: Comment: Super-rich donations are just a drop in the ocean"
The Guardian
7/9/06

"Titans Pass their Torches of Wealth"
Boston Globe
7/4/06

"From Gandhi to Gucci"
Knight Ridder Tribune Business News
7/2/06

"Financial: World Wealth Report: Rich get even richer in third world: Booming markets have been kind to millionaires - most of all in poorer countries"
The Guardian
6/21/06

"Hedge fund chance on way for non-super-rich"
Knight Ridder Tribune Business News
6/21/06

"Survey: The super-rich are feeling good about economy"
Knight Ridder Tribune Business News
6/6/06

"Capital gains from the super-rich"
The Spectator
5/20/06

"Cash and kin Being born super-rich can be tough"
Financial Times (London)
3/25/06

"Super-rich driving 'super car' market"
USA Today
3/23/06

"The Economy; CAPITAL: Rich Get Richer, but Not as Fast as You Think"
Wall Street Journal
3/2/06

"SERVING THE SUPER RICH"
Middle East (London)
Mar 2006

"Investors given nod for flats aimed at super-rich"
Financial Times (London)
2/24/06

"SPARKLING TIMES RETURN: SUPER RICH DRIVE BOOM IN SALES OF HIGH JEWELRY"
WWD
12/30/05

"Open palms or tight fists? / The super-rich aren't so charitable, says new analysis; [FINAL Edition]"
San Francisco Chronicle
12/23/05

"America's super-rich: offended by luxury, 'under assault' by media; [LONDON 1ST EDITION]"
Financial Times
12/05

"Europe: Muscovites pay to see excesses of super-rich"
Financial Times
9/25/05

"Super-rich prompt surge in demand for luxury cars"
FT.com
9/20/05

"New class of yachts dwarfs competition / Biggest is best after a sea change in attitude, income"
Houston Chronicle
8/14/05

"Pity the billionaires"
Arkansas Times
8/4/05

"The Great Tom Cruise Backlash / Will this annoying phase pass, or will Tom become the next super-rich, Mel Gibson-like nutball"
San Francisco Chronicle
7/6/06

"Wealth Gap Keeps Growing"
Knight Ridder Tribune Business News
6/10/05

"Subsidizing Selfishness"
The Texas Observer
4/29/05

"Charity for the Super-Rich; Mesa voters should deep-six the city's plan to funnel $84 million to greedy corporations"
Phoenix New Times
4/21/06

"Super-rich fuel growing conspicuousness of consumption"
Financial
3/22/06

"Absolute performance funds are not the preserve of the super-rich. They ought to be available to all investors."
Alternative Investment News.
3/2005

Financial Times
1/27/05

"Tax Report: Republicans Consider Keeping Estate Tax Alive for the Very Rich"
Wall Street Journal
1/19/05

"Super Rich Can Help in Crisis"
Boston Globe
1/1/05

"Perfectly Legal: The Covert Campaign to Rig Our Tax System to Benefit the Super Rich - And Cheat Everybody Else"
Virginia Tax Review
Winter 05

The Guardian
Dec 2004

"U.S. election about class, not politics"
Chicago Tribune
10/26/04

"The super-rich in global perspective: a quantitative analysis of the Forbes list of billionaires"
Applied Economics Letters
10/04

"Super Rich Step Into Political Vacuum; McCain-Feingold Paved Way for 527s"
Washington Post
10/04

Knight Ridder
10/04

Financial Times
10/04

"Perfectly Legal: The Covert Campaign to Rig Our Tax System to Benefit the Super Rich-and Cheat Everybody Else"
The Journal of the American Taxation Association
Fall 04

The Guardian
10/04

Knight Ridder
9/04

The Guardian
8/04

Financial Times
7/04 X3

6/04

5/04

4/04

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