Links: 2009-01-02

I am still playing a bit of catch up with my e-mail, reading and writing, so I won’t be linking out to any interesting blog stories today. However, I did want to give you a taste of what I thought were some interesting news stories on the Internet in business over the past few days.

Cheers.

Edward

Madoff
Austria takes control of Bank Medici
Kevin Bacon caught up in Bernard Madoff scandal – Times Online (This was an interesting headline because of that game “Six Degrees of Kevin Bacon.” His getting caught out in the Madoff scandal is fitting given the fact that he is supposed to be at the center of a whole web of Hollywood connections according to the game. It tells you how far and wide this thing was.)

Markets
FTSE 100’s best 10 performers of 2008 (only 9 of them actually had positive returns)
FTSE 100’s worst 10 performers of 2008 (It was the FTSE’s worst year…ever.)
Gold Heads for Record Eighth Annual Gain on Dollar, Recession– Bloomberg
Crude Oil Advances on Gaza Attacks, Russia’s Gas-Shipment Cut – Bloomberg
Loonie suffers worst annual drop in 58 years
The worst media calls of 2008 – MSN Money

Economies
Björk on a mission to save Icelandic economy
Belarus to get $2.5bn IMF loan – BBC News (Eastern Europe is really hurting)
Slovakia Adopts Euro, Shielding Economy From Crisis – Bloomberg (Very good news for the Slovaks. The Czechs won’t be joining then for a while.)
Russia cuts gas to Ukraine over unpaid bills

Odds and Ends
LyondellBasell considers Chapter 11 bankruptcy
Huntington’s misunderstood doctrine