Thursday morning links

TOP STORIES
• Pension safety net's deficit reaches $33.5B - USA Today
• Surging China bank loans a concern, Fitch says - AP
• Obama to sign credit card crackdown into law - Reuters
• More banks may have to be nationalised, says IMF - Telegraph
• Greenspan: Banks Still Have a ‘Large’ Capital Requirement - Bloomberg
• Painful cost-cutting on the way, lawmakers say - Sacramento Bee
• TSI to publish iron ore reference prices daily - Commodity Online
• Gold: investor demand soars amid inflation fears - Telegraph

MARKETS/INVESTING
• Oil futures pull back from six-month high - MarketWatch
• Gold ETFs, scrap supplies drive bullion trade - Commodity Online
• Coming Soon: Rhodium Bullion Coins - Gold and Silver Blog
• Dollar Is Dirt, Treasuries Are Toast, AAA Is Gone - Bloomberg
• Taking Stock of Jim Cramer’s Picks - NY Times
• Peak oil under spotlight - EDIE

ECONOMY
• 631K new jobless claims, total benefit rolls 6.7M - AP
• Fed Unconvinced Economy’s ‘Stabilization’ to Persist - Bloomberg
• Wider Confidence Lifts Economy From Winter's Deep Freeze - Wash. Post
• Global Economy Free-Fall May Be Ending, Krugman Says - Bloomberg
• The Reasons Fraud Spikes in a Recession - Time

INTERNATIONAL
• U.K. Credit-Rating Outlook Lowered to ‘Negative’ - Bloomberg
• Singapore economy shrinks 14.6 pct in 1st quarter - AP
• China is preparing for a world where the yuan trumps the dollar - Telegraph
• ECB Said to Have Debated 125 Billion-Euro Asset Package in May - Bloomberg
• China sees initial results in boosting domestic demand - CHINADaily
• Lloyds offers new lifeline to first-time buyers with 95pc loan - Telegraph
• Mexican Economy Shrinks 8.2 Percent in First Quarter - Bloomberg
• EU in line for Chinese windfall - CHINADaily

HOUSING
• Foreclosures: New Waves Will Hit - Zacks
• U.S. Cities With The Most Underwater Mortgages - CNBC
• Interest in Purchasing Foreclosed Homes Spikes - Trulia
• Housing: Recovering or Not? - BusinessWeek

FED/TREASURY/BANKING
• Fed Reluctant to Guarantee Muni Borrowings - Bloomberg
• Treasury Said to Plan Second Bailout for GMAC - NY Times
• Fed wins, SEC loses. Is that really a good idea? - Time
• Fed Officials Raised Prospect of More Bond Purchases - Bloomberg

INTERESTING
• Hitler's European Holocaust Helpers - Spiegel Online
• Feeling the Squeeze, Exclusive Country Clubs Get the Common Touch - Wash. Post
• TV Networks Return to Comedy With ‘Frasier,’ ‘Seinfeld’ Stars - Bloomberg
• Couple withdraws money, flees after bank error - AP

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