Wednesday morning links

TOP STORIES
Planned layoffs in January hit 7-year high - Reuters
California bond rating drops lower than any other state's - LA Times
Bank Rescue Would Entail Triage for Troubled Assets - Washington Post
‘Failed’ Wall Street Means Biggest Rules Rewrite Since 1930s - Bloomberg
Additions by Senate Push Stimulus Near $1 Trillion - NY Times
Madoff Whistleblower Markopolos Finally Speaks - ClusterStock
U.S. Plans to Curb Executive Pay for Bailout Recipients - NY Times
Refinery strike averted as contract reached - Reuters
Senate votes to give a tax break to new car buyers - AP

MARKETS/INVESTING
Gold steadies above $900/oz, rate decisions awaited - Reuters
How Citigroup Makes Hay in the Oil Market - Time
Cash4Gold Ad Does Not Signal a Top in Gold - The Big Picture
Got gold? Why TV ad men want yours - Christian Science Monitor
Sprott Says U.S. Depression Will Boost Gold Price - Bloomberg
Gold as Part of a Portfolio - Seeking Alpha
Unfinished Business - Butler, Investment Rarities

ECONOMY
Goldman says fund managers expect deflation - Credit Writedowns
ADP employment index finds 522,000 private-sector jobs lost - MarketWatch
Taxed and spent: Consumers are telling Washington, 'No we can't' - MarketWatch
`Buy American' isn't new, but is it really a good idea? - McClatchy
GM U.S. sales fall 48.9% to 128,198 units in January - MarketWatch
Pending home sales post increase of 6.3 pct - AP

INTERNATIONAL
Utsumi Says G-7 Nations May Reinstate Call for Yuan Flexibility - Bloomberg
China shares up on new loans, manufacturing index - AP
Hyundai Defies U.S. Slump as Asians Grab Record Share - Bloomberg
Putin Speech at Davos World Economic Forum - The Oil Drum
GE Capital Sells FDIC-Backed Hong Kong Dollar Bonds - Bloomberg
China outraged after India bans all toy imports - Telegraph
Indonesia Cuts Rate for Third Month to Spur Growth - Bloomberg
Canadian parliament approves economic stimulus plan - AFP

HOUSING
Record 19 Million U.S. Homes Stood Vacant in 2008 - Bloomberg
Plan Orange: The Mortgage Crisis Killed Quickly - Your Mortgage or Your Life
Here We Go Again: S&P Slashes Thousands of RMBS Ratings - HousingWire
Housing Prices Will Continue to Fall, Especially in California - newgeography
Conventional loan limit is a hurdle for high-end homes - USA Today
High-End Housing Market Ravaged by Stock Selloff - CNBC
Remodeling industry has room for recovery - MarketWatch

FED/TREASURY/BANKING
Toxic-Asset Guarantees Gain Momentum in U.S. Bank-Rescue Talks - Bloomberg
U.S. Debt Default, Dollar Collapse Altogether Likely - Seeking Alpha
Fed Extends Emergency-Loan Programs, Swaps to Oct. 30 - Bloomberg
Thoughts on an Inflationary Depression - Seeking Alpha

INTERESTING
Dewey, Cheatham and Howe announces new partners - FFTP
Twitter, Communication, and My Intermittent Inner Luddite - Naked Capitalism
Free breakfast a 'Slam' dunk in tight economy - Times Online
Historic tiny Sacramento County town has king-size problems - LA Times