Thursday morning links

TOP STORIES
• US retailers report May sales declines - AP
• Bernanke warns on deficits as interest rates rise - USA Today
• Bank of England keeps interest rates at record low - Telegraph
• European Central Banks Hold Rates Steady - NY Times
• Meet the Men Who Are Being Handed the Keys - Wash. Post
• Bernanke vs. Merkel: The Bailout Debate - NY Times
• Plan to Help Banks Clear Their Books Is Halted - NY Times
• Bankruptcy filings rise to 6,000 a day as job losses take toll - USA Today

MARKETS/INVESTING
• Goldman Raises Year-End Crude Forecast to $85 - Bloomberg
• Gold rises as dollar steadies, ETF eases from record - Reuters
• Buffett Is Less Bullish on U.S. Than You Think - Bloomberg
• The linkage between oil, gold prices in recession - Commodity Online
• Fund Managers can become farmers: Jim Rogers - India Times
• India exports 30 tons gold coins, scrap gold to Dubai - Commodity Online

ECONOMY
• U.S. jobless claims fell last week - Reuters
• Productivity increases more than expected in 1Q - AP
• Jobless rates rise in U.S. metro areas in April - CNBC
• Economic data disappoint, indicate slow recovery - AP
• Medical bills play a role in 62% of bankruptcies, study says - LA Times

INTERNATIONAL
• UK house prices jump most in almost seven years - Telegraph
• Russia Reduces Interest Rates to Boost Bank Lending - Bloomberg
• Rise in Oil Price Eases Push for Reform in Russia - NY Times
• Trichet Aim to Heal ECB Rift May Be Aided by Economy - Bloomberg
• Japan Companies Cut Spending by Record; Profits Slump - Bloomberg
• China to consume 40% of global gold production - Commodity Online
• Iceland Lowers Key Interest Rate to 12%, Defying IMF - Bloomberg
• Will the Hummer really fit in China? - LA Times

HOUSING
• Pending Home Sales Rise for Third Straight Month - BusinessWeek
• Mortgage Applications Slump, Housing Market Battles Back - Money Morning
• Toll, Hovnanian Fall as Losses Exceed Projections - Bloomberg
• Homebuilders tout signs of housing market thaw - AP

FED/TREASURY/BANKING
• Fed May Step Up on Mortgages, Bank of America Says - Bloomberg
• As Deficits Mount, Fed Chief Calls for a Path to Fiscal Balance - NY Times
• Pianalto Says Low Consumer Spending to Slow Recovery - Bloomberg
• Treasury prices ease - CNN/Money

INTERESTING
• Foreclosed homes could become hurricane shelters - AP
• Where to put Guantanamo prisoners? Colorado - LA Times
• Einstein's 'Spooky Physics' Gets More Entangled - LiveScience
• For the 'funemployed,' unemployment is welcome - LA Times

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