MUST READS
Angry Bart Takes His Parting Shot – Bloomberg
Abe Draws Anger With Visit to Japan War Shrine – Bloomberg
McDonald’s removes worker site after fast food flap – CNBC
First-class stamps to cost 49 cents as of Jan. 26 – USA Today
Six market surprises to look for in 2014 – MarketWatch
Five Lessons of 2013, Guaranteed to Be Forgotten – Bloomberg
The Affordable Care Act’s free-market economics – Washington Post
A very nervous New Year’s for Obamacare – Politico
What to Do When ObamaCare Unravels – WSJ
Why Do People Hate Optimists? – Atlantic
Time for a little Bitcoin discussion – Digitopoly
A Trip Through The Bitcoin Mines – Zero Hedge

MARKETS/INVESTING
Asian markets mixed as trading resumes – AP
Stocks: U.S. futures tilt higher Thursday – CNN/Money
Wall St. set for record closes 50 and 44 of 2013 – MarketWatch
As Santa rally raises stocks, traders watch bond grinch – CNBC
Five Reasons It Is Time To Buy Bonds Again – Forbes
Gold steady, set for biggest annual loss in 30 years – Reuters
It’s Very Good That Gold Was A Bad Investment This Year – Forbes
China world’s largest country for gold trading – China Daily
Air India asked to check gold smuggling by its staff – The Hindu
Contrarian view: Why gold will recover in 2014 – CNBC
Gold’s Real Problem: Deflation – Barron’s

ECONOMY/WORLD/HOUSING/BANKING
Preliminary sign of a coming contraction – Angry Bear
Why Corporations Might Not Mind Moderate Depression – Krugman, NY Times
Robots and Economic Luddites: They Aren’t Taking Our Jobs Quickly Enough – CEPR
The Greatest Gift of All (Economically Speaking) – Bloomberg
China Estimates 2013 Growth at 7.6% as Challenges Seen Ahead – Bloomberg
The 10 biggest surprises from China in 2013 – CNN/Money
BOJ Beat: Depth of Apparent BOJ Board Split Worth Watching – WSJ
UK house prices expected to rise 8% in 2014 – Guardian
Six years after real estate crash, Ireland’s housing market surges – Globe & Mail
Housing Market in 2013: Prices Rise, Lending Remains Tight – Fox Business
Housing Market Setting Up for Another Crash – Nasdaq
When Fed takes stock, Fed really takes stock – NY Post
Volcker Rule Challenged in U.S. Court by Bank Group – Bloomberg