Wednesday morning links

TOP STORIES
World stocks slip as year-end nears - Reuters
Is the recovery in home prices stalling? - CSM
Bankers Get $4 Trillion Gift From Barney Frank - Bloomberg
GMAC Said to Discuss U.S. Aid Package of $3 Billion or More - Bloomberg
E-mails inside AIG reveal executives struggling with growing crisis - NY Times
State and Local Tax Revenue Fell for Fourth Consecutive Quarter - Bloomberg
Sprott Says S&P 500 Index Will Plunge Below March Low - Bloomberg
The most memorable financial stories of 2009 - LA Times

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MARKETS/INVESTING
Oil back below $79 a barrel as stocks seen rising - AP
Gold Falls as Growth May Curb Investor Demand - Bloomberg
Dollar climbs to three-month high versus yen - Reuters
Options Trading Rises to Record Following 66% Rally in S&P 500 - Bloomberg
Decade’s Worst Funds Never Recovered From Tech Bust - Bloomberg
String of investment bubbles marked 2000-09 - AP

ECONOMY
Chance of a Double Dip Is 50%: Analyst - CNBC
Economics emerges from the rubble in fragile state - Guardian
Laid-off executives struggle to find any kind of job - USA Today
Shoplifters? Studies Say Keep an Eye on Workers - NY Times
Moody's: November credit card payments slip - USA Today
Consumer confidence rises in Dec, but still weak - AP

INTERNATIONAL
Euro Zone Grapples With Debt Crisis - WSJ
JAL shares dive to record low on bankruptcy fears - AP
Emerging Markets Soar Past Their Doubters - NY Times
Euro-zone money growth turns negative - MarketWatch
South Korean Conglomerate Faces Cash Crunch - NY Times
US Slaps China with Another Trade Penalty: Steel Grating - CNBC
China Willing to Spend Big on Afghan Commerce - NY Times
Japan unveils growth plan for next decade - AP

REAL ESTATE
New Slip in Housing Prices Undercuts Fragile Optimism - NY Times
Bay Area home prices rise from previous month - SF Gate
Turnaround in housing market expected - Boston Herald
Vegas housing market shows no ‘glimmer of hope’ - Las Vegas Sun

FED/TREASURY/BANKING
Move Your Money: A New Year's Resolution - HuffPost
Treasuries Set for Worst Year Since 1978 as U.S. Steps Up Sales - Bloomberg
Treasury Updates GSE Support, and the Mainstream Misleads - Housing Wire
How Virginia Is Handling Payday Loans - WSJ

INTERESTING
Where did the city's ever-present sea lions go? - SF Gate
Hotel guests seek out free breakfasts, buffets - USA Today
In the FT's parallel universe, Goldman Sachs boss is the hero of 2009 - Guardian
NY's Tavern on the Green restaurant bites the dust - AP

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