Wednesday morning links

TOP STORIES
Facing pressure, Bernanke to face lawmakers - AP
At F.D.I.C. , Bracing for a Wave of Failures - NY Times
Commercial Mortgage Default Rate More Than Doubles - Bloomberg
White House recommits to "Volcker rule" bank trade ban - Reuters
Greenspan: Crisis ‘By Far’ Worst, Recovery Uneven - Bloomberg
21st Century Breakdown - Quinn, Burning Platform
Basically, It's Over - Munger, Slate
The doomsday cycle - Vox

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MARKETS/INVESTING
Oil slips on weak recovery signs - Reuters
India keen to buy 191 tonnes of IMF gold - Commodity Online
Bull markets often begin before confidence hits bottom - MarketWatch
Ride this bull, but be ready to jump - MSN Money
Why gold's rally may be a short one - MarketWatch
Get Shorty: A Loser's Answer - Barron's

ECONOMY
Bernanke Likely to Face Questions on Jobless Recovery - Bloomberg
Martin Wolf is Very Gloomy, and With Good Reason - Naked Capitalism
Why Do These Clowns Still Have Jobs? - Financial Armageddon
Older black workers hit hard by recession, says AARP - LA Times
Flagging confidence intensifies economic fears - AP

INTERNATIONAL
Four Biggest Greek Banks Downgraded - WSJ
Brown denies unleashing 'forces of hell' on Darling - BBC
Greek Strike Grounds Flights, Shuts Ministries - Reuters
Mervyn King: Quantitative easing may have to restart - Guardian
China regulators halt credit to local-government funds - MarketWatch
World trade contracted 12 percent in 2009: WTO's Lamy - Reuters
Rogoff Says China Crisis May Trigger Regional Slump - Bloomberg
Greece leads Europe's winter of discontent - The Independent
German economy stagnant in fourth quarter - MarketWatch

REAL ESTATE
The Mortgage Walkaway Number - Olick, CNBC
Underwater Mortgages Hit 11.3 Million - 24/7 Wall Street
Case-Shiller Adds to Confusion on Housing Market - WSJ
Home purchase loan demand at lowest since 1997 - Reuters

FED/TREASURY/BANKING
Fed officials take aim at reform plans - Reuters
Headline of the Day: “Lending Falls at Epic Pace” - The Big Picture
Six Questions For Ben Bernanke - Zero Hedge
Another Fed Maneuver to Digest - WSJ

INTERESTING
Flying spaniel survives 300-foot fall off UK cliff - AP
Wayne Newton Threatened With Foreclosure - ZillowBlog
'Perfect' Liquid Hot Enough to be Quark Soup - BNL News
5 Things That Will Make You Happier - LiveScience

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