MUST READS
The Fed Pretty Much Just Announced QE3 – Forbes
Goldman Sachs comments on the Fed’s sterilised QE – FT Alphaville
Fed Debt-Purchase Approach May Hurt Rather Than Help – Bloomberg
Greece on brink of default as bond deal falters – Telegraph
Why a Greek Debt Deal Won’t End the Greek Saga – CNBC
Greek write-downs: The end of risk-free government bonds – Washington Post
BoE keeps quantitative easing target unchanged at 325B sterling – Reuters
ECB Keeps Key Rate at 1% as Inflation Reappears – Bloomberg
Run to gold, Iran-Israel war is coming: Marc Faber – Commodity Online
A Perspective on Money from Howard and Warren Buffett – GoldMoney
Consumer Credit: The Good and the Bad – EconomPicData
Not too warm for a Labor Dept. snow job – NY Post
Eurocrats and Their Vassals – aucontrarian

MARKETS/INVESTING
Oil rises on Greek debt hopes, Iran concerns – AFP
Gold rises as euro draws strength from Greece – Reuters
Happy Birthday, Bull Market! Morning Business Memo – ABC News
Asian markets rally to end 3-day losing streak – MarketWatch
Have Oil Speculators Already Priced In War With Iran? – Businessweek
Switzerland Wants Its Gold Back From The New York Fed – Zero Hedge
Gold Advances as Weakening Dollar May Fuel Investor Demand – Bloomberg
Gold, silver boosted by physical demand, Fed report – Commodity Online
What role could China play in gold’s performance in 2012? – Commodity Online
Gold to climb on physical buying – BullionStreet

ECONOMY/WORLD/HOUSING/BANKING
U.S. Job Creation Declines in February – Gallup
February Employment Report Preview – A Dash of Insight
Beware Analysts Torturing Jobs Data to Fit Model – Bloomberg
Labor Dept. Asks Nuclear Guardians for Help Keeping Jobs Data Secret – CNBC
Homelessness in the U.K. jumps by 14% in a year – Guardian
The European Central Bank, As Seen From A Bar On The Coast Of Spain – NPR
Brazil Speeds Up Interest Rate Cuts to Single Digit to Revive Growth – Bloomberg
Sellers biggest home-prices hike since ’10 – O.C. Register
Parsing Recent Trends in Home Prices Proves Precarious – CNBC
US House Democrats Request Hearing On Fed Mandate – Nasdaq
Banks Shouldn’t Be Both Judge and Jury on Credit Defaults – Bloomberg
Americans Don’t Benefit From Fed Inflated Asset Prices – Real Clear Markets
Punish the bankers? We’re still rewarding them – MarketWatch

Well, at least one of them is back…

Yesterday’s 204 point plunge for the Dow Jones Industrial Index has stock investors wondering whether volatility is about to make a big comeback after three months of relative calm. The last 200+ point down day for the index was on November 23rd and, since that time, it’s been a losing battle for the short sellers, but their prospects may soon change.

MUST READS
Tension before Greece debt swap – BBC
Stocks rebound but Greek debt in spotlight – Globe & Mail
Spain Lags Italy as Growth Concern Halts Rally – Bloomberg
Rift Grows Between Germany’s Bundesbank and ECB – Spiegel
Obama unveils housing initiatives for military, FHA – Washington Post
As Pension Crisis Looms, Golden Years Fade to Black – Bloomberg
Why Liquidity Is No Longer Enough – Business Insider
The next crisis to avoid is in student loans – Fortune
Debt To Grow Faster Than Economy for Foreseeable Future – Mercatus Center
Faber: How money printing divides societies and tests investors – Arabian Money
Cause, effect, & the fallacy of a return to normalcy – The Burning Platform
What’s Your Personal Inflation Rate? – Time
The Real ‘Price’ Of Gold – Seeking Alpha

MARKETS/INVESTING
Oil prices rebound on fresh concern over Iran – AFP
Gold recovers as dollar retreats, buyers step in – Reuters
Death For Buy & Hold? Where Is Thy Sting? – Capital Spectator
Why the sell-off is just getting started – MSN Money
Oil prices and the U.S. economy – Econbrowser
Are alternative investments for you? – MarketWatch
US 2012 Oil Demand Seen At 15-Year Low – Dow Jones
On China And The End Of The Commodity Super-Cycle – Zero Hedge
People always look for the most stable kind of money – usually gold or silver – Mineweb
Gold market sentiment finally improving – MarketWatch
Dennis Gartman and the goldbugs – FT Alphaville

ECONOMY/WORLD/HOUSING/BANKING
A tale of two depressions redux – voxeu
The Real Cost of Living: $150,000 Minimum – Fiscal Times
There’s Something Weird Going On With The Economic Data – BI
Euro-Zone Central Bank System Massively Imbalanced – Spiegel
China lambasts U.S. trade bill, won’t adjust yuan – Reuters
A Republican backlash brews over IMF and Europe – Washington Post
Australia GDP Grows at Half the Pace Economists Forecast – Bloomberg
Fewest O.C. homes for sale since 2005 – O.C. Register
A Huge Spike in Repeat Foreclosures – CNBC
Federal Reserve under attack … again – CNN/Money
Banks’ Deliberate Mispricing of Risk For Personal Gain – Jesse’s Cafe
After 3 years, we’re all hooked on free money – MarketWatch
Bernanke Seen Accepting Faster Inflation – Bloomberg

MUST READS
Gas prices break 27-day rise – CNN/Money
Stocks Fall as European Economy Contracts – Bloomberg
Obama holds news conference, unveils housing plan – AP
As an Adviser, Goldman Guaranteed Its Payday – DealBook
Greece bubbles towards a third bailout, boiling point – Telegraph
How all CDS are at risk of not paying out – Salmon, Reuters
Credit Default Swap Fraud Exposed/Confirmed – Implode-O-Meter
IBM’s Watson Gets Wall Street Job After ‘Jeopardy’ Win – Bloomberg
Fed Study of Student Debt Outlines a Growing Burden – NY Times
How College Education Has Become A Giant Money Making Scam – American Dream
Dozens arrested protesting education cuts at California – Reuters
Wall St. Bonus Withdrawal Means Trading Aspen for Cheap Chex – Bloomberg
4 big myths about Wall Street bonuses – MarketWatch

MARKETS/INVESTING
Oil slides to $106 on global growth concerns – AP
Gold falls below $1,690/oz as euro slides – Reuters
Insiders as bearish now as last April – MarketWatch
Buy-and-Hold Can Not Die – The Aleph Blog
‘Peak Oil’ is back with a vengeance – Today Online
Billionaires Buy Petrol Ships as Cargoes Expand – Bloomberg
A volatile ride ahead to far higher gold prices – Mineweb
Sentiment hit hard by gold sell-off – could be more to come – Mineweb
Hong Kong gold exports to Mainland China dips in January – BullionStreet
Mining market funk to wane as PDAC engenders optimism – Mineweb

ECONOMY/WORLD/HOUSING/BANKING
Under $2 a Day in America, Part 1 – off the charts
AP survey: More optimism about US jobs and economy – AP
How Does Anybody Make a Living These Days? – LewRockwell.com
In China, Sobering Signs of Slower Growth – NY Times
Goldman Secret Greece Loan Reveals Sinners – Bloomberg
How the IMF reasserted its power in Greece’s debt crisis – Washington Post
Spain tries to head off deficit rebellion in regions – Reuters
Overall Decline in Shadow Inventory Masks Big Regional Differences – S&P
Home price declines resilient against REO saturation: Clear Capital – Clear Capital
Fed’s Fisher “Perplexed” By Wall Street “Fetish” With QE3 – Zero Hedge
Richard Fisher: QE3 would be like ‘medical malpractice’ – CNN/Money
Seventeen Years of Boom and Bust – Mises
Fed Up with the Fed – Ron Paul

MUST READS
Fed Takes a Break to Weigh Outlook – WSJ($)
Bernanke Leaks, Spoils the Punch – Bruce Krasting
China lowers growth target half a point to 7.5% – MarketWatch
China’s Services Index Falls in Sign Economy Weakening – Bloomberg
Gas prices climb yet again on Sunday, topping $3.76 – CNN/Money
Tactics and Strategy at the Strait of Hormuz – The Oil Drum
Oil could soar to $440 a barrel if Strait of Hormuz closed – Tehran Times
Expect a US Price Shock as Black Swans Come Home to Roost – Chris Martenson
China hedging its bets on U.S. government debt, data show – LA Times
Warning: A New Who’s Who of Awful Times to Invest – Hussman Funds
Walt Whitman, The First Artist of Finance – Shiller, Bloomberg
The rapidly growing student loan problem – Sober Look
Bank of America In Trouble? – Taibblog

MARKETS/INVESTING
Oil down to $106 on lower China growth target – AP
Gold slips as euro zone worries lift dollar – Reuters
Stocks Cheaper Than Any U.S. Peak in 23 Years – Bloomberg
Investor Sentiment: Get a Parachute? – Zero Hedge
Stocks, the little engine that could – Reuters
Gold Far From Bubble Phase: Marc Faber – The Gold Report
Gold Breakout Round the Corner, Price Could Hit $3,000: Dollar Doomsayers – IBT
Barclays: Physical gold buying picks up after Wednesday sell off – Commodity Online
David Rosenberg: “The Best Currency May Be Physical Gold” – GoldSilver
Wednesday’s Intervention – Too Big To Spoil? – COMEX we hava a problem
Where is Greece’s gold? – GoldMoney

ECONOMY/WORLD/HOUSING/BANKING
States of Depression – Krugman, NY Times
New Report: Seniors Can’t Make Ends Meet – WSJ
Disingenuous Recession Explanations from ECRI – Mish
Why Tuition Has Skyrocketed at State Schools – NY Times
The Changing Multiplier Since 1925… – GRWTIH
GLOBAL ECONOMY WEEKAHEAD-The good news behind oil prices – Reuters
What is the ECB endgame? – Marginal Revolution
Merkel Sees Euros Minted From Marks in Political Trial of German Integrity – Bloomberg
Chinese Congress Opens With Upbeat Assessments and Eyes on the Top – NY Times
China military spending to top $100 billion in 2012, alarming neighbors – Washington Post
Why ZIRP Was Inevitable and Why It May Be With Us a Long Time – Daily Capitalist
The Fed and The Power To Redirect and Redistribute Wealth – Forbes
The Central Banks’ Assault On Savers – Zero Hedge

MUST READS
Brazil declares new ‘currency war’ – CNN
ECB Says Overnight Deposits Surge to Record – Bloomberg
The ECB’s Policies Are Anything But Harmless – Spiegel
Greek Swaps Headed Back to ISDA Committee – Bloomberg
Negative Equity Traps One Third of American Borrowers – CNBC
Secret Commerce Department Report Shows the Economy May be Faltering – CEPR
Bill O’Reilly is Misinforming Americans About Oil Supplies – The Oil Drum
Obama, chart in hand, presses his case on gas prices – LA Times
If Stockton Is Broke, Then Why Isn’t San Diego? – Bloomberg
Will Wall Street Ever Face Justice? – NY Times
Why the stock market rally won’t last – Fortune
Financial Crisis Amnesia – Geithner, WSJ

MARKETS/INVESTING
Oil below $108 after Saudi explosion report denied – AP
Gold inches up as buyers trickle back after selloff – Reuters
Israel to Begin Investing Reserves in U.S Equities Today – Bloomberg
Thoughts on Retirement with Dignity 2.0 – The Big Picture
Has There Ever Been a Better Time to Be an Investor? – WSJ
Why retail gasoline prices are nearing a record – MarketWatch
Dollar Going Out With A Whimper, Not A Bang — So Far – Dollar Collapse
Facing Sanctions, Iran to Sideline Dollar by Using Gold in Trade – New American
Reported 31 tonne sell order triggered gold and silver price collapse – Mineweb
Did Ben Bernanke kill the gold rally? – CNN/Money

ECONOMY/WORLD/HOUSING/BANKING
Two Issues that Can Bring Down the Economy – Fiscal Times
Calling BS on ECRI’s recession call defense – Bonddad
Eurozone unemployment rate at 10.7% – CNN/Money
‘Hubrisk’ (hubris+risk) and the Greek crisis – voxeu
China state banks to boost selected property loans – Bloomberg
Germany May Support Euro Firewall Increase for Psychological Reasons – Spiegel
New home sales in Australia enter record slump – Sydney Morning Herald
Delinquent mortgage squatters predominate high-end properties – OC Housing News
Fitch outlines the hazards of principal reduction – Housing Wire
Quarter of all 4th Quarter Home Sales Were in Foreclosure – Housing Views
Fed’s Lockhart: Benefits of Low-Rate Policy Outweigh Costs – WSJ
Bernanke’s First Step Is Admitting There’s a Problem – RCM