Wednesday January 2 Housing and Economic stories

Top Stories:

PHH ends proposed merger with GE, Blackstone (due to credit and mortgage crunch) - (news.yahoo.com)
More needed to help stabilize U.S. housing: White House - (news.yahoo.com)
Mortgage crisis takes a bite out of states and cities - (www.latimes.com)
Californians pessimistic about state economy - (www.reuters.com)
Fund Frozen, Florida Towns Feel the Pinch - (www.nytimes.com)
San Francisco Prices Fall 6.2% - (patrick.net)
Centro Puts Itself Up for Sale as Debt Deadline Looms - (www.bloomberg.com)
National coffers judged 'shocking' – (www.ft.com)
Broke Britain: millions face struggle to stay afloat as financial crisis hits home - (news.independent.co.uk)


Other Stories:

Higher food prices show no sign of retreating in 2008 - (www.chicagotribune.com)
In the Land of Many Ifs - (www.nytimes.com)
Q2: How does the credit squeeze change the job of central banks? - (www.ft.com)

PHH Scraps Sale as Blackstone Fails to Get Funding - (www.bloomberg.com)
Defaults on insured mortgages set record - (www.latimes.com)
Seeking honest home values - (www.latimes.com)
Analysts see prospect of 100-dollar oil in 2008 - (news.yahoo.com)
World's top underwriters: Citigroup and Merrill Lynch - (www.iht.com)

San Diego Price Trends - (patrick.net)
Sales and house prices in free fall - (www.nytimes.com)
Realty reality: Housing prices are headed way down - (www.latimes.com)
New house sales at 12-year low after 9% drop - (money.cnn.com)
New House Sales: A Stunning Slide - (www.businessweek.com)
Decline in American house prices not over yet - (business.timesonline.co.uk)
How experts got housing wrong - (money.cnn.com)
Buyers screwed when builders go bankrupt - (realestate.msn.com)
Dueling Fools: 2008 Bear - (www.fool.com)
Credit Crisis? Just Wait for a Replay - (www.nytimes.com)
Dave Barry on Subprime and the Economy - (paul.kedrosky.com)
Hope don't pay my bills - (youtube.com)

Darker 2008 for Detroit’s Automakers - (www.nytimes.com)
For financial companies, 2007 was a topsy turvy year - (www.iht.com)

China's Hu vows forceful measures to curb inflation - (news.online.com)
Chavez Revives Historic Coin in Campaign to Reduce Inflation - (www.bloomberg.com)
Trichet navigates choppy waters - (www.ft.com) ($)
Singapore economy shrinks in Q4 - (www.ft.com) ($)
Shares soothsayers split over effect of Olympics - (www.ft.com) ($)

A wild ride into uncertainty - (www.latimes.com)
Worst outlook since dotcom bust - (www.ft.com)
Treacherous waters - (www.ft.com)
Markets in review in 2007 - (www.ft.com)
An Ottoman warning for America - (www.ft.com)
'07: Buyouts and Bailouts - (www.washingtonpost.com)