Monday morning links

TOP STORIES
• US unveils $500 bln clean-out of toxic bank assets - AFP
• U.S. lays out plan to attract buyers for toxic debt - Reuters
• ING Seeks Return of Bonuses to Ease Taxpayer Anger - Bloomberg
• AIG rivals met Bernanke to complain - Reuters
• Putting off Hard Choices with Easy Money - Hussman Funds
• The Big Takeover - Rolling Stone
• In credit drought, U.S. car dealers battle to survive - Reuters
• Japan's business sentiment deteriorates - MarketWatch

MARKETS/INVESTING
• Oil climbs past $52 on stock market rally - AP
• Gold May Rise on Demand for Dollar Alternative - Bloomberg
• Bernanke’s Deflation Jihad May Trample Traders - Bloomberg
• Central bank moves to boost U.S. and UK stocks vs Europe - Reuters
• Hellman & Friedman to buy Barclays iShares unit - MarketWatch
• UK Oil, Gas Exploration Faces Collapse - FXStreet

ECONOMY
• U.S. shoppers likely to remain frugal - Reuters
• As bankruptcy filings mount, attention turns to reform - USA Today
• In credit drought, U.S. car dealers battle to survive - Reuters
• GOP predicts doomsday if Obama budget passed - AP
• Economic Dirty Bomb Goes Off in New York - TomDispatch

INTERNATIONAL
• The World's Cheapest Car Debuts in India - Time
• Japan finance minister: Much more stimulus needed - MarketWatch
• Public sector debt 'to hit £180bn' in UK, experts warn - Daily Mail
• Trade Barriers Rise as the Recession’s Grip Tightens - NY Times
• Abu Dhabi to buy big piece of Daimler - MarketWatch
• Why the Norwegian Krone is the World's Safest Currency - Time
• World economy 'to shrink in 2009' - BBC
• Fed Monetized Debt When Foreign Debt Holders Stop Buying - Geldpress

HOUSING
• Million-dollar homes 6 times harder to sell - O.C. Register
• Spring Has Realtors Hoping For Housing Market Thaw - WLWT.com
• Defaulting Commercial Properties Hit Banks - Bloomberg
• Short sales, slow sales - MarketWatch

FED/TREASURY/BANKING
• Treasury Announces $1 Trillion Toxic-Debt Plan - Bloomberg
• Geithner's Bank Plan: Winners And Losers - Forbes
• Is Obama Running Interference to Protect Bankers’ Pay? - Option Armageddon
• Treasury's toxic asset plan could cost $1 trillion - AP

INTERESTING
• Half of us have one month of cash cushion if laid off - Seattle Times
• Hedge-Fund Investors Hire Private Eyes to Avoid New Madoffs - Bloomberg
• AIG starts makeover, changes sign at NY office - Reuters

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