Friday morning links

TOP STORIES
Auto Bailout Talks Collapse as Senate Deadlocks Over Wages - Washington Post
UAW president hopes Washington will help industry - AP
Madoff Confessed $50 Billion Fraud Before FBI Arrest - Bloomberg
Bank of America to Cut 30,000 to 35,000 Positions - Bloomberg
Heroes and Zeros - CNN/Money
Auto bailout ABCs - CNN/Money
The Great Rescue Plan: ‘It Doesn’t Exist!’ - NewsWeek
Driving continues to decline as gas prices drop - AP

MARKETS/INVESTING
Crude tumbles 7% as U.S. auto-rescue plan founders - MarketWatch
Dollar falls to record low against yen - BCNN/Money
Mutual fund investments fall $2.8 billion - CNN/Money
Price of gold hits record high - Telegraph
Vaporize COMEX - Meltdown 2011

ECONOMY
Retail sales fall for 5th straight month - CNN/Money
Producer prices fall sharply in November - MarketWatch
Economics focus: A stimulating question - Economist
Fourth-Quarter GDP: Worse and Worse - WSJ Economics Blog
Yahoo changes controversial severance program - MarketWatch

INTERNATIONAL
EU agrees to $264 billion stimulus plan - MarketWatch
In China, anger rises as economy falls - LA Times
Japan announces new economic stimulus package - AP
Switzerland may have to print money to stave off deflation - Telegraph
UK consumers adopt Depression-era mentality, Asda head says - Financial Times
GM: UK Government mulls rescue of Vauxhall - Telegraph
Iceland: Cracks in the crust - Economist

HOUSING
Why home values may take decades to recover - USA Today
Bill Frey's radical ideas for how to fix the housing market - BusinessWeek
Reworking your mortgage - MarketWatch
How to fix the housing mess - Forbes

FED/TREASURY/BANKING
Fury Builds Over Crisis at Banks - Norris, NY Times
Treasury sees TARP funds for financial sector - Reuters
Household Net Worth in U.S. Declines Most on Record - Bloomberg

INTERESTING
Sarcasm finds medical use in dementia detection - AFP
Venice hotels offer flood package with free boots - AP