Friday morning links

TOP STORIES
Jobless rate drops to 9.7%, payrolls fall by 20,000 - AP
Ex-Bank of America chief Lewis charged with fraud - CNN/Money
House sends $1.9 trillion debt-limit increase to Obama - MarketWatch
Trichet Struggles to Convince Investors of Euro-Area Solidity - Bloomberg
Congressional Democrats are nay-saying Obama's budget -LA Times
Obama’s $6.3 Trillion Scam Is America’s Shame - Weil, Bloomberg
The budget and the deficit: An opportunity wasted - Economist
S&P strips Berkshire Hathaway of AAA rating - Reuters

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MARKETS/INVESTING
Oil slips below $73 on "toxic mix" of risk aversion - Reuters
Why there is golden silence on IMF gold sale - Commodity Online
Stocks Sink To Lowest In 3 Months: Here's Why - HuffPost
Gold tumbles, disappointing investors who sought hedge - LA Times
The oil industry: Beyond the black stuff - Economist
Cheer Up Traders, At Least Churn is Profitable - WSJ
What’s next for the Dollar? - Axel Merk

ECONOMY
Recession Job Loss Numbers Around Eight Million - HuffPost
White House Unveils Plan to Double U.S. Exports - Washington Post
Where rent is cheap and jobs (sort of) plentiful - CNN/Money
House votes to revive pay-as-you-go budget rules - Washington Post
What the Timber Market Is Telling Us - Minyanville

INTERNATIONAL
Fears of 'Lehman-style' tsunami as crisis hits Spain and Portugal - Telegraph
China's 2009 current-account surplus falls 35% - MarketWatch
Argentina's reserves and its debts: Central Bank robbery - Economist
Never short a country with $2 trillion in reserves? - China Financial Markets
Greece's sovereign-debt crunch: A very European crisis - Economist
China’s 2009 State Land Sales Cover 40% of Stimulus Plan’s Cost - Bloomberg
China to set anti-dumping measures on U.S. chicken - MarketWatch

REAL ESTATE
GMAC Reports Record Loss on Home Mortgage Defaults - Bloomberg
Mortgage rates move little over week: Freddie Mac - MarketWatch
Chase Denied Loan Mods for Now Forbidden Reason - ProPublica
Fannie, Freddie Hold Plenty Off the Books - TheStreet.com

FED/TREASURY/BANKING
Fed might buy more mortgage-backed securities - Washington Post
Taleb Says ‘Every Human’ Should Short U.S. Treasuries - BusinessWeek
Is Ken Lewis About To Drag Down Bernanke And Paulson With Him? - Zero Hedge
Fed bought $12 bln net in agency MBS in latest week - Reuters

INTERESTING
5 most expensive pieces of art - CNN/Money
Obese People Lose Weight at High Altitudes - LiveScience
2-inch toy gun in school means trouble for NYC boy - AP
U.S. Corners Global Centenarian Market - Infectious Greed

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