Wednesday/Thursday links

TOP STORIES
Huge Housing Bill Set to Become Law - Washington Post
Ford Has $8.7 Billion Loss, Shifts Away From Trucks - Bloomberg
U.S. Congressman Warns Major Economic Disaster Imminent - The Trumpet
Wall Street Shrinks From Competing With Fannie Mae, Freddie Mac - Bloomberg
FDIC learns it ignores bloggers at its peril - SF Business Times
Investment Outlook: Mooooooo! - Pimco
Why wasn't IndyMac on FDIC problem list? - SF Chronicle
CFTC Report on High Oil Prices - "Speculation My A$$" - The Oil Drum

MARKETS
Regulators Say Company Manipulated Oil Market - NY Times
Oil gains ground but natural gas continues slide - AP
Gold ends tad higher, in tandem with oil rise - Reuters
Market at bottom? Don't believe it - MSN Money
'Gold remains the best investment option' - Commodity Online

ECONOMY
Home sales at 10-year low, jobless claims jump - Reuters
Jobless claims jump as housing market gets weaker - AP

HOUSING
All types of mortgages see rate increases - AP
Most foreclosures in at least 20 years - SF Chronicle
Fannie Mae Unsold $5 Billion Homes Bring Peril to Shareholders - Bloomberg
Another Increase in California Foreclosure Activity> - DataQuick

FED/TREASURY
Pimco's McCulley Says Plosser Wrong on Interest Rate Increases - Bloomberg
Geithner Signals Fed's Lending Programs Still Needed - Bloomberg
The Paradox of Deleveraging - Pimco
U.S. banks primary borrowings from Fed biggest ever - Reuters

INTERNATIONAL
Oil Below $120 Will Reverse `BR-IC' Fortunes: Andy Mukherjee - Bloomberg
High street sales plunge 3.9% - Guardian
European recession looms as France and Spain stumble - Telegraph
German Optimism Falls as Europe Recession Risks Rise - Bloomberg

INTERESTING
Costco Gets Bitten by Inflation - BusinessWeek
Optimists Buy IPhones While Pessimists Hoard Gold: Mark Gilbert - Bloomberg