Thursday morning links

TOP STORIES
• Freddie's 2008 Loss Exceeds $50 Billion - Wash. Post
• Greenspan Forgets Where He Put His Asset Bubble - Baum, Bloomberg
• Stage set for Madoff plea in New York court drama - Reuters
• At Stake for Madoff in Hearing: His Freedom - NY Times
• Largest U.S. pension plans' assets fall $217 billion short - USA Today
• National Semiconductor to cut 25% of workforce - SF Gate
• World Economy Seen Shrinking, G20 Meeting Looms - CNBC
• Cuomo Says Merrill Deceived Congress on Bonuses - NY Times

MARKETS/INVESTING
• Gold Rises as Lower Equities Spur Demand - Bloomberg
• Oil rebound to $43 after drop on inventories' rise - AP
• Buffett sees buying opportunities in U.S. - Reuters
• Panics and Booms, a lesson from 1897 - Option Armageddon
• Banks were January net buyers of 1.1 million oz of gold - Platts
• More U.S. companies headed for junk status - Reuters

ECONOMY
• Retail Sales Decline Less Than Forecast - Bloomberg
• New jobless claims rise more than expected - AP
• Unemployment 'is now a national emergency' - USA Today
• Poll: Record number say state in 'bad times' - SF Gate
• Unemployment to near 10 percent as U.S. slump worsens - Reuters

INTERNATIONAL
• Japan 4th-qtr economy shrinks annualized 12.1% - MarketWatch
• China output growth hit, world economy to shrink - Reuters
• ECB Approaches Zero Rates by Stealth With New Weapon - Bloomberg
• Fall in China’s exports caught up with the fall in China’s imports - CFR
• BMW posts surprise loss, VW sees worse ahead - Reuters
• Swiss investors pile in on money markets, gold - Reuters
• New Zealand Cuts Key Interest Rate to Record-Low 3% - Bloomberg
• Is Europe 'in denial' on depth of crisis? - IHT

HOUSING
• Foreclosures up 30 percent in February - AP
• Rise in foreclosures 'a shock' - CNN/Money
• Biggest home-price gainers now biggest losers - OC Register
• The 'hidden homeless' - LA Land

FED/TREASURY/BANKING
• Greenspan again finds Fed blameless in housing bubble - LA Times
• Treasury: Budget Deficit Hits $765 Billion - Time
• Freddie asks Treasury for $30.8 bln after big loss - MarketWatch
• “60 Minutes” Hauls Water for the FDIC - YMOYL

INTERESTING
• Stewart, Cramer get ready to rumble - Globe & Mail
• Bill Gates reclaims top spot in Forbes list - MarketWatch
• Sully lands book deal with William Morrow - Crain's

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