Thursday morning links

TOP STORIES
Bank of England cuts interest rates to 1pc - Telegraph
U.K.’s Brown and Depression, a Freudian Slip? - WSJ Economics Blog
SEC Stonewalls at Senate Hearings on Madoff - Naked Capitalism
Senate Advances Tax Break for Homebuyers - NY Times
Stumbling on Their Sense of Entitlement - Washington Post
At Madoff Hearing, Lawmakers Lay Into S.E.C. - NY Times
Why saving for your future is so hard - CNN/Money
Obama caps executive pay tied to bailout money - AP

MARKETS/INVESTING
Gold Rises a Second Day on Inflation-Hedge Demand - Bloomberg
Oil hovers near $40 a barrel - CNN/Money
Dubai gold jewellery sales crash by 60 percent - Commodity Online
Target-date funds missed the target in 2008 - MarketWatch
Oil Inventory Build Surprises Analysts, Not Traders - Hard Assets Investor
Silver Investment Demand - Gold & Silver Blog
Wall St. Pay Moves in Cycles (Guess Where We Are Now) - NY Times

ECONOMY
U.S. jobless claims surge to 626,000 - MarketWatch
U.S. Productivity Rose More Than Forecast - Bloomberg
State furloughs may delay unemployment benefits - LA Times
About that deflation risk - Krugman, NY Times
2009 GDP Forecasts - Calculated Risk
Bill Gates warns of tough economy - Reuters
Senate OK's softened "Buy American" plan - Reuters

INTERNATIONAL
Mizuno: BOJ Must Take Extraordinary Steps - Bloomberg
Toyota shuts down all but one assembly line - CNN/Money
Sticky Prices Help ECB Save Interest-Rate Ammunition - Bloomberg
Australia facing debt-driven depression - ABC News
Russia Fuels Ruble Tumble With Bank Loans - Bloomberg
Economists React: Signs of Stabilization in China? - WSJ Economics Blog
U.K. house prices see January bounce - MarketWatch
McDonald's slashes China prices by up to 33 percent - Reuters

HOUSING
272 O.C. homes lose million-dollar status - OC Register
Senate approves $15,000 home purchase tax credit - LA Land
52% of homes in LA/OC sold at a loss - OC Register
Analyst Explains Why Housing Will Not Bottom This Year - WSJ Developments
O.C. million-dollar home sales tumble 45% in 2008 - OC Register

FED/TREASURY/BANKING
Volcker Chafes at Obama Panel Delay, Strains With Summers Rise - Bloomberg
End the Fed - Ron Paul, GoldSeek
Obama’s ‘Screw-Up’ Leaves Geithner on Thin Ice - Bloomberg
Bernanke Picks Up the Pace - WSJ Economics Blog

INTERESTING
Number of alien worlds quantified - BBC
'Evangelists' accused of stealing from Tenn. homes - AP