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Features of the week

Welcome to this Friday's edition of, "Features of the week". Enjoy!

1. US consumer confidence falls to a 26-year low.

2. The SEC fines a trader for spreading false Blackstone deal rumors.

Funny how some individuals are targeted and fined for spreading false rumors, while media outlets seem to get a free pass (and a possible ratings-boost to boot)!

For added perspective, here are some past comments on moving the markets with rumors, and companies blaming short sellers for their demise, from Gary Kaltbaum (via BMB).

Plus, this post on the SEC targetting short-sellers in the Bear Stearns bust, and one blogger's take on bear raids.

3. The Shanghai Composite Index has fallen 50 percent from its peak.

4. Star subprime trader Josh Birnbaum has left Goldman Sachs to start a $1 billion hedge fund.

5. Superstar hedge fund trader Greg Coffey will leave GLG Partners, and forgo $250 million in compensation, to start his own fund.

6. UBS to start freight futures index.

7. Base metals are bucking the slowdown.

8. What would happen if commodity prices fell?

9. Could a Brazilian oil find end reliance on the Middle East?

10. The Bakken formation: how much will it help?

11. Emerging market oil use exceeds US as prices rise.

12. It's time for a rethink on recession-proof, says Michael Panzner.

13. Seeking knowledge? Physicist John Wheeler said, "In any field, find the strangest thing and then explore it".

14. Trading tactics from Gerald M. Loeb, author of one of my favorite books, "The Battle for Investment Survival".

15. Eight hundred years of financial folly. A long term view of capital flows and debt default cycles.

16. The rise of the Gulf. Economist cover story.

17. US News on the return of Big Government. Did it ever go away?

18. Nomads at last. Wireless communications change the way people live and work.

Is there an interesting story out there that we might have missed? Your suggestions are always welcome. Drop us an email or share your thoughts in our comments section.

Thanks for reading Finance Trends Matter. Enjoy your weekend.
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