Sunday morning links

TOP STORIES
The End of the Financial World as We Know It - NY Times
Evans says Fed needs to mimic below-zero rates - Reuters
Ukraine: Serious natural gas shortages possible - AP
Asia needs to fully wake up to the scale of the West's economic crisis - Telegraph
The culture of scarcity - LA Times
SEC Said to Examine More Ponzi Schemes After Madoff - Bloomberg
Credit Bubble Bulletin - Year End Facts - Noland, Prudent Bear
U.S. Debt Expected To Soar This Year - Washington Post
U.S. governors seek $1 trillion federal assistance - Reuters

MARKETS/INVESTING
A year after $100, oil prices cut in half - SF Gate
'Silver prices will follow Gold in 2009' - Commodity Online
Peter Bernstein’s biggest worry? The dollar - Implode-O-Meter
Buffett Has ‘Nowhere to Hide’ Amid Berkshire’s Plunge - Bloomberg
The ‘permabear' keeps on growling in 2009 - Globe & Mail
Who is Comex paper gold manipulative short seller? - Commodity Online

ECONOMY
2008 Job Losses Probably Worst Since 1945: U.S. Economy Preview - Bloomberg
US stimulus plan to be ready by early February: lawmaker - AFP
Notion of fast U.S. recovery falls flat at parley - MarketWatch
Series spreads the blame on economy - LA Times
It's Time to Drop The Consumer Label - Washington Post

INTERNATIONAL
Savers hit with punitive rate cuts - TimesOnline
Chinese Manufacturing Contracts as Exports Decline - Bloomberg
China industry recovers slightly - Reuters
Banks defy Brown call to free up credit - Guardian
The Irish Economy’s Rise Was Steep, and the Fall Was Fast - NY Times
Housing market braced for brutal 2009 as prices and mortgage lending plunge - Guardian
Rates may sink to lowest since 1694 - Telegraph
BOJ's Shirakawa: yen rises hurt economy short term - Reuters

HOUSING
Home Prices in Selected Cities - NY Times
Beaufort Realtors: Housing market at bottom here, elsewhere - Beaufort Gazette
One constant in housing market: predictions - TampaBay.com
Seeing ahead in 2009 - Boston.com

FED/TREASURY/BANKING
Fed’s Evans Supports Stimulus, Sees ‘Sobering’ Debt - Bloomberg
Fed has abandoned monetary policy, critic says - Reuters
Chicago Fed: 'Big stimulus is appropriate' - CNN/Money
Time ripe for Fed inflation target: Bullard - Reuters

INTERESTING
Oregon considers subbing mileage tax for gas tax - LA Times
Rainbow Room to close restaurant, citing economy - AP

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