Wednesday morning links

TOP STORIES
• Economy shrinks at 6.1 percent pace in 1Q - AP
• Fed Is Said to Seek Capital for at Least Six Banks - Bloomberg
• Citigroup seeks permission to pay bonuses - Reuters
• BofA CEO’s Support Erodes Ahead of Annual Meeting - Bloomberg
• Feeling Secure, Some Banks Want to Be Left Alone - NY Times
• GM's New Road Map: Partial Nationalization - Wash. Post
• U.S. Reaches Deal With Chrysler Banks, People Say - Bloomberg
• Buy Gold, not Gold shares - Commodity Online

MARKETS/INVESTING
• Oil rises above $50 with equities - Reuters
• Gold edges up as weak dollar sparks buying - NineMSN
• Hedge-Fund Bubble Bursts in Time for Swine Flu - Bloomberg
• Bullion premiums ease for gold, silver: Got Gold Report - Stockhouse
• Akshaya Tritiya fails to boost India gold sales - Commodity Online
• Stealth stock bull market; sell in May and go away? - Stockhouse

ECONOMY
• U.S. economy shrinks more than expected - Reuters
• Home Vacancies Rise in U.S. to Record Amid Recession - Bloomberg
• Home Prices in 20 U.S. Cities Declined at Slower Pace - Bloomberg
• Outbreak Threatens Global Recovery - Wash. Post
• Confdence Index Rises Most Since 2005 - Bloomberg

INTERNATIONAL
• Europe's corporate giants feel heat from recession - Guardian
• Peso Tumble, Swine Flu May Prompt Mexico to Tap IMF - Bloomberg
• Abbey aids UK economy with £2.3bn of lending - Telegraph
• London Ponders Its Future as Financial Powerhouse - NY Times
• China Demand Means Asia Exporters May Be Past Worst - Bloomberg
• Alistair Darling defends 50pc tax on high earners - Telegraph
• Derivatives Hit Austrian Railroad With Record Loss - Bloomberg
• Gazprom Q4 Profit Plummets 84% on Drop in Demand - Bloomberg

HOUSING
• Phoenix Leads the Way Down in Home Prices - NY Times
• Home prices less dismal, but still falling steeply - CSM
• Housing Market Shows Some Life - Wash.Post
• Housing: Coming In For A Landing? - Forbes

FED/TREASURY/BANKING
• Fed likely to maintain credit push - AFP
• Republican Senator Specter Announces Party Switch - Bloomberg
• What the Fed is considering at this week's meeting - Guardian
• Fed's Report Explores the Housing Market - AjaxWorld

INTERESTING
• Cell Phone Ultrasound Device Like Trek 'Tricorder' - LiveScience
• Chihuahua blown away by 70-mph winds reunited with owners - AP
• Some Dinosaurs Survived the Asteroid Impact - LiveScience
• Fear a high school reunion? Hire a stripper - Reuters

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