Wednesday morning links

TOP STORIES
Hill aides: CBO to project $1.2T deficit for 2009 - AP
ADP employment index shows 693,000 jobs lost in December - MarketWatch
Alcoa to cut 13 percent of global work force - AP
Bank of America sells China bank stake - Reuters
Russia stops all gas supply to Europe via Ukraine - AP
Obama: $1 trillion deficits 'for years' - CNN/Money
Schwarzenegger Blocks Tax Rises as California Cash Crunch Looms - Bloomberg
Worst December for layoffs on record, survey says - MarketWatch
IBM May Cut Thousands of Jobs, Employee Group Says - Bloomberg

MARKETS/INVESTING
Oil Traders Seek Another 10 Tankers for Storage, Frontline Says - Bloomberg
Gold steadies, supported by dollar; platinum up - Reuters
Why governments can't stop market crashes - Globe & Mail
Bullish bandwagon: Too many editors have decided that bear market is over - MarketWatch
Millionaires? More like $700,000-aires - CNN/Money
Don't buy Wall Street's latest con - MarketWatch
Wall Street mess sends class-action investor lawsuits up 19% - USA Today

ECONOMY
Private sector shed 693,000 jobs in December - Reuters
Herd Quits Eden for Land of Perpetual Recession - Bloomberg
Economic 'bubbles have only begun to burst' - Vancouver Sun
Recession creates a load of problems for truckers - LA Times
U.S. retailers' 'bah, humbug' Christmas - MarketWatch
Straight talk on the economic crisis - LA Times

INTERNATIONAL
Zero Growth in China Is 2009 Black Swan Event - Bloomberg
Taiwan’s Exports Drop By Record 41.9% on Global Slump - Bloomberg
A homely parade in the currency ‘ugly’ contest - FT Alphaville
Indian software company chief quits in accounting scandal - IHT
Germany adds to global job woes after Alcoa cuts - AP
China warns of risks from "abnormal" cross-border capital flow - Window of China
Asia to Have 'V-shaped' Recovery, BNP Paribas Says - Bloomberg
Financial Casualty: Why Adolf Merckle Killed Himself - Time
Vietnam's Real Estate Market Feels Crisis - New American Media

HOUSING
Walk Away from your Mortgage Calculator - Payorgo.com
Mortgage applications dip despite low rates - CNN/Money
Half of Americans Oppose Bailout for Troubled Homeowners - HousingWire
How to tackle foreclosures and unemployment at the same time - Time
Manhattan Apartment Sales Drop, Office Rents Fall - Bloomberg
Jumbo mortgage loan rates put damper on refinancing - Boston.com
Florida’s Housing Market Won’t Recover Until 2011, Study Says - Bloomberg

FED/TREASURY/BANKING
Fed Revives Discussion of Explicit Inflation Target - Bloomberg
Fed Expects Weak Economy, Fears 'Prolonged Retraction' - Washington Post
Geithner must avoid Paulson's mistakes - Fortune
FOMC saw specter of depression, deflation - MarketWatch
Fed Policy Makers Saw ‘Substantial’ Risks to Economy - Bloomberg

INTERESTING
SHAQ'S BARGAIN - New York Post
Big-Headed Crickets Are Better Fighters - LiveScience