Monday morning links

TOP STORIES
Big Paydays for Rescuers in the Crisis - NY Times
Administration to slash bailout cost estimate - AP
BIS: Low Interest Rates Can Risk Financial Stability - Bloomberg
Congress Is the Drunk at the Fed’s Punch Bowl - Lowenstein, Bloomberg
Educators have the wrong number in answering budget crisis - LA Times
Dismal Scientists Miss the Optimism in Jobs Data - Hassett, Bloomberg
Bankers had cashed in before the music stopped - FT
Malpass Spot-On - Noland, Prudent Bear
The $700 billion man - Washington Post

Get these links delivered to your inbox every day.

MARKETS/INVESTING
Dollar jump puts oil below $75 - Reuters
Gold tarnished by dollar run - CNN/Money
Gold bugs cite India, silver, miners as causes for hope - MarketWatch
Buffalo Bullion Coins Sold Out, Others Suspended or Limited - Coin News Update
Credit Crises Generally Require Multi-Year Adjustments - Hussman Funds
John Paulson Returns to Earth - BusinessWeek
Why The Big Drop In Gold? - Zero Hedge

ECONOMY
The Jobless Rate May Have Hit Its Peak - NY Times
Jobless Professionals Vie for Holiday Sales Work - ABC News
Quarter of workforce could become temps as contract work grows - USA Today
Deputies witness recession's toll as evictions increase - SJ Mercury News
In economic woes, firms count on temp workers - SF Gate

INTERNATIONAL
Banks face fresh Dubai debt fears - TimesOnline
European banks to face capital demands - FT AlphaVille
Gross, Roubini Weigh Dueling Chinese Bubbles - Pesek, Bloomberg
Dubai government ring-fences key assets, shares tumble - Reuters
China monetary policy takes the spotlight amid bubble fears - MarketWatch
China to Add Flexibility to Economic Policies, Pare Investment - Bloomberg
Hong Kong finance chief warns of asset-price bubble - MarketWatch
Britain risks falling out of world's top 10 economies - Telegraph

REAL ESTATE
Why Treasury Needs a Plan B for Mortgages - NY Times
Homeowner bailout plan may not stop US housing market crash - TimesOnline
Moody’s Links Option ARM, Subprime Performance - Housing Wire
Millions More At-Risk of Default Than Most Think - Mark Hanson

FED/TREASURY/BANKING
Geithner: “none…would have survived” - Reuters
No Escape From TARP for U.S. Banks Choking on Real Estate Loans - Bloomberg
Three Strikes on Ben Bernanke: AIG, Goldman Sachs & BAC/TARP - The Big Picture
The great American credit contraction rolls on - Reuters

INTERESTING
Best Ever Christmas Decorations - Poor and Stupid
Yellowstone a petri dish for climate change - LA Times
Porn star Holly Sampson is seventh woman linked to Tiger Woods - Daily News
Wanted: Mich. bank robber with 'offensive breath' - AP

###