Friday morning links

TOP STORIES
• GM dealers expect word on plans to cut 1,100 shop - AP
• German, Italian economies contract at record rate - Telegraph
• The banking industry: Three trillion dollars later... - Economist
• Six Insurers Named to Get U.S. Taxpayer Aid - NY Times
• Xanax Nation Beats a Panicked Nation Any Day - Bloomberg
• Nike slashes 5 percent of global jobs in largest cut - Reuters
• Chrysler Pulls Out of Hundreds of Franchises - Wash. Post
• California governor sees $15.4 billion gap - Reuters

MARKETS/INVESTING
• Oil falls below $58 on dollar, weak demand - Reuters
• Are Gold ETFs set for a spike very soon? - Commodity Online
• Authorities probe insider trading at SEC - Reuters
• Stocks still face deflationary collapse: Prechter - Reuters
• Hedge funds: Gluttons for punishment? - Economist
• DMCC vault may store region's gold reserves - Business 24/7

ECONOMY
• Consumer prices flat in April, matches estimates - AP
• NY Factory Index Reaches Highest Level Since August - Bloomberg
• Trade Wars Launched With Ruses, End Runs - Wash. Post
• Economics focus: Damage assessment - Economist
• Jump in Food Costs Drives Up Prices - NY Times

INTERNATIONAL
• Eurozone economy suffers dramatic plunge - Guardian
• China’s Stock Bubble Passes Stiglitz Acid Test - Bloomberg
• Asian economies: Crouching tigers, stirring dragons - Economist
• Japan’s Machinery Orders Fall as Factories Sit Idle - Bloomberg
• Spain’s Leader Offers New Measures to Boost Economy - NY Times
• Chinese Stimulus, Lending May Drive Rebound - Bloomberg
• GM: Almost as Canadian as American - Globe & Mail
• Birth pains: A new global system - Economist

HOUSING
• Gov't losses big in home market - USA Today
• Will the 'shadow inventory' stunt a housing recovery? - LA Times
• Most U.S. homeowners think a bottom has been reached: Zillow - Reuters
• Uncork that champagne – housing market hitting bottom! - Boston.com

FED/TREASURY/BANKING
• Buy-out chief accuses US over 'sham' bank bail-outs - Telegraph
• Regulators Clash Over Holding Bank Management to Account - Bloomberg
• Fed’s Balance Sheet Increases 5.6% on Asset Purchases - Bloomberg
• U.S. financial reform to be unveiled despite clashes - Reuters

INTERESTING
• My Personal Credit Crisis - NY Times
• Free Lipitor, Viagra, 70 other drugs for jobless - AP
• Angry Ads Seek to Channel Consumer Outrage - NY Times
• Meltdown 101: What if my car dealer shuts down? - AP

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