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Features of the week

Welcome to our "Features of the week", where we review some of the week's most interesting articles features and news stories. Grab a chair and browse!

1. Bernanke and Bush attempt to calm the markets with their "plan to help homeowners" and the broader economy. Bush and Paulson stress that their is focused on homeowners in trouble, not a bailout of lenders.

Funny, because this whole mess reminds me of the early 1990s S&L blowup more with each passing day. More on this from Bear Mountain Bull and The Big Picture.

2. "Mozilo Cashed Out at Top of Market". Brett Arends on the hefty insider selling of Countrywide Financial shares.

3. Cleaning up on the meltdown. BusinessWeek reports on market participants who took the other side of some popular trades during the recent credit market turmoil.

4. A tribute to Dr. Kurt Richebacher, patriarch of the "anti-bubble" economists.

5. Jeffrey Tucker and Mark Thornton discuss the Mises Institute's Bastiat Collection.

6. What's at the heart of happiness? A brief overview from WSJ.com (Hat tip to The Kirk Report).

7. Ah...it's all starting to make sense now. Damien Hirst is now mentioned as being part of the previously "unnamed" investor group that is planning to buy his $100 million skull.

Classic. Anonymous Dealbreaker commenter, you were right!

8. Here's a strange story: "Gold Fields Bidder Takes Twisted Path From Shelter to Argentina".

9. Commodities. Wheat hits all time high, while the bloggers at Commodity Trader ponder a corn futures trade.

10. Gary Dorsch wonders if the "Commodity Super Cycle" has stalled out.

11. Anonymous blogger and hedge fund manager, Fintag gives us his inside view of the markets and a review of the day's interesting stories.

12. The Big Picture tips us to a historical perspective of recent bear markets.

13. Buyout funds face higher costs, elusive returns in the future, says Bloomberg.

14. "A Political Theory of Geeks and Wonks". Mises Institute's Jeffrey Tucker.

15. The Financial Philosopher reminds investors to focus on what is certain, rather than the distraction of uncertainties.

Thanks for reading Finance Trends Matter. Enjoy your weekend, everyone.
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