Thursday morning links

TOP STORIES
Weekly jobless claims surge to 16-year high - Reuters
GM, Ford, Chrysler Depart From Congress Empty-Handed - Bloomberg
GMAC applies for bank-holding status to access U.S. cash - MarketWatch
After Losses, Pensions Ask For a Change - NY Times
China PBOC Mulls Raising Gold Reserve By 4,000 Tons - Report - FXStreet
Global deflation risk grows - Christian Science Monitor
Financials need at least $1 trillion: analyst - Reuters

MARKETS/INVESTING
Oil falls toward $50 - CNN/Money
Gold Rises in London as Slump in Stocks Increases Haven Appeal - Bloomberg
Adrian Douglas: The second London Gold Pool is dying - GATA
For gold, a tussle between two groups of investors - MarketWatch
Stocks Slump As Signs Point To Harder Times - Washington Post

ECONOMY
Weekly U.S. jobless claims jump to 542,000 - MarketWatch
Is Deflation Good for Workers? - BusinessWeek
The New Frugality: Americans return to thriftiness - AP
October's Drop in Prices and Housing Starts - BusinessWeek

HOUSING
Alt-A Losses Outstripping Expectations, Moody’s Says - Housing Wire
October's Drop in Prices and Housing Starts - AP
Housing slowdown spurs auction of construction equipment - LA Times
No job, bad mortgage - out of luck - CNN/Money
New Year U.S. Housing Market Forecast: No Gain, More Pain - Money Morning

FED/TREASURY/BANKING
Bernanke May Find Deflation `Back on the Table' as Fed Concern - Bloomberg
FOMC sees yearlong recession, minutes show - MarketWatch
Federal Reserve sees recession to at least mid-2009 - LA Times

INTERNATIONAL
Japan's exports mark biggest decline in 7 years - AP
SNB Cuts Benchmark Rate by a Record 100 Basis Points - Bloomberg
Chinese carmakers also seek government aid - LA Times
Canada's housing boom is over: Scotiabank - Globe & Mail
Rolls-Royce, AstraZeneca and Bae join list of job-cutting giants - Guardian
Iran not converting reserves to gold -paper - Guardian
Bank of Japan likely to hold rate-cut fire for now - MarketWatch

INTERESTING
Adult children moving back home with parents - LA Times
Dubai's Palm Jumeirah sees prices fall as crunch moves in - Telegraph