Tuesday morning links

TOP STORIES
UK economy shrank 0.6% from July to September - Guardian
Commercial Real Estate Industry Seeks U.S. Aid - Washington Post
GM Investors Bet Lifeline From U.S. Won’t Be Enough - Bloomberg
Textron, Unisys to cut 3,500 jobs - CNN/Money
CIT to receive $2.33B from government program - AP
Fed cuts dollar, Fire sales and F.I.R.E. sales, and Duh-flation - iTulip
Foreign Automakers in the U.S. Cut Back - NY Times

MARKETS/INVESTING
Oil below $40 on fears of weaker crude demand - AP
Gold dips in step with oil; eyes U.S. data - Reuters
Turning Point? - Saut, Raymond James
Drivers remain cautious despite lower gas prices - LA Times
More Evidence Of Manipulation - Butler, Investment Rarities
Ten Worst Performers of 2008 - MarketWatch

ECONOMY
U.S. December Michigan Consumer Sentiment Index Rises to 60.1 - Bloomberg
November existing home sales fall by 8.6 percent - AP
November new home sales drop 2.9 percent - AP
U.S. Q3 GDP down 0.5%, unrevised and as expected - MarketWatch
World economies limp to Christmas - Reuters
Deeper Cuts, Widespread Pain - Washington Post
Forecasters share predictions for economy's outlook in 2009 - USA Today

INTERNATIONAL
Taiwan's Nov. Export Orders, Output Fall by Records - Bloomberg
Putin: no more cheap gas - Associated Press
U.K. Economy Shrinks Most Since 1990 in Third Quarter - Bloomberg
Emerging market consumers hurting with rest of world - Reuters
Plunge in Exports Reverberates Across Asia - Washington Post
Sadly, the worst for the economy is yet to come - Telegraph
Iceland ‘Like Chernobyl’ as Meltdown Shows Anger Can Boil Over - Bloomberg

HOUSING
Housing has its worst monthly price drop in 20 years - Boston.com
Happy holiday sign for housing market - NBC2 Fort Myers
Calif. home prices down 26%, nation’s worst — again - OC Register
The Blame Game, Redux - Housing Wire
New foreclosures dip, but delinquencies rise - OC Register

FED/TREASURY/BANKING
Money supply will soar once banks loosen purse strings - MarketWatch
Life Without Bubbles - Krugman, NY Times
Regulator demoted; inquiry finds he let IndyMac backdate assets - LA Times
AIG's Deal Machine Is Still in First Gear - AP

INTERESTING
Chinese seek to pull cats from the menu - LA Times
Michigan population declines for third year - Detroit Free Press