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Features of the week

Kick back, relax, and enjoy our, "Features of the week".

1. Freddie Mac considers major stock sale in bid to avoid rescue plan.

2. Citi's $2.5 billion loss less than feared, while Merrill takes a $9.4 billion writedown.

3. It's an emergency! The SEC's endangered species list.

4. It's good to short. Short sellers have been doing well lately.

5. Jim Bunning's capitalism pitch is in strike zone: Caroline Baum.

6. Pakistani investors smash up Karachi Stock Exchange as stocks slide.

7. Diamonds attract funds as gem prices surge.

8. Super-rich are still spending, says Sotheby's CEO Bill Ruprecht.

9. Export boom fuels factory town's revival.

10. Welcome back US Manufacturing (?)

11. Solar's hot real estate market: a desert land boom.

12. US homeowners cruising Craigslist for cheap heating oil.

13. Andy Grove on "Our Electric Future" (Hat tip: Dow Theory Letters).

14. To hell with $4 gas, drive this: Tesla's wild ride.

15. Bountiful Barrels: a wealth-transfer to oil-exporting nations.

16. Barron's makes a case for buying Middle Eastern shares.

17. Soil under strain: worries over topsoil erosion.

18. Fannie, Freddie, the Drug War - it's all here. Thomas E. Woods and Mark Thornton discuss a multitude of topics on "Shock to the System", Woods' weekly radio podcast.

19. Lunch with the FT: Ronnie Wood.

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Thanks for reading Finance Trends Matter. Enjoy your weekend!

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