Wednesday morning links

TOP STORIES
Weak earnings rouse worries about global recession - AP
China: Shut plants a big sign of domestic, world woes' impact - USA Today
Fed Prepared to Prop Up Money-Market Funds - Washington Post
Mervyn King warns of Britain's 'long march' out of recession - Times Online
Argentina Nationalizes $30 Billion in Private Pensions - NY Times
Morgan Stanley's Bonuses Get Saved By You and Me - Bloomberg
As Oil Prices Drop, OPEC Ponders Tough Solutions - NY Times

MARKETS/INVESTING
Oil falls below $70 as demand worries trump OPEC - AP
Gold slips on firmer dollar, deflation fears - Reuters
Euro, British pound plunge - MarketWatch
Gold May Pay Only in Case of Maximum Despair - Bloomberg
'Comex paper gold can not manipulate gold price' - Commodity Online

ECONOMY
Pressure Builds for Boeing and Machinists to Settle - AP
Wal-Mart sees shifts in shoppers' buying habits - USA Today
In Sour Economy, Some Scale Back on Medications - NY Times

HOUSING
Mortgage applications fall 16.6 pct - Reuters
Bargains push bay home sales, but prices plunge - SF Chronicle
Lenders help more homeowners avoid foreclosure - USA Today
U.S. trying to stop millions of foreclosures, Paulson says - MarketWatch

FED/TREASURY/BANKING
Banks Weighing Other Uses for Bailout Money - Washington Post
Fed Adds to Its Efforts to Aid Credit Markets - NY Times
Fed will back up money market funds, to unfreeze lending - USA Today

INTERNATIONAL
Loonie dives under 80 U.S. cents - Globe & Mail
Pound falls to five-year low as Bank head admits recession is here - Guardian
Lehman Dynamic Spreads Through Chinese Economy - Bloomberg
Argentina seizes pension funds to pay debts. Who's next? - Telegraph
China Caps Bank Overhaul With Agricultural Bank Aid - Bloomberg

INTERESTING
6 ways to barter smarter online - MSN Money
Pirates Still Terrorize High Seas - LiveScience