by Laura Conaway

Welcome back to the first workday after the unemployment rate fell. Here at Planet Money HQ, you can almost hear the air hissing out of inflated expectations.

Ah, but the news. Big pay for bankers is back, in the form of the oxymoronic "guaranteed bonus." We'll see what the new pay czar, Kenneth Feinberg, says about that.

In the category of stuff to read for self-improvement, economist Robert Lucas defends the dismal science.

A new research paper says Americans will spend the next 20 years turning away from sprawl and homeownership and toward filling in those donut cities created by suburban flight.

Paul Krugman says President Obama should reappoint Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke. Eyeing a long recovery, Joseph Stiglitz says he's not so sure.

The U.S. federal deficit grew by $181 billion in July.

And the New York Times offers a primer on the health care overhaul. It's worth a click.