Weekend Linkage – February 7, 2009

Posted by Sun on February 8, 2009

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Market recap

It’s rare to see the stock market and the unemployment rate go hand in hand, but it did happen last Friday when the Labor Department reported that 598K workers lost their jobs in January, pushing the unemployment rate to 7.6%. At the same, the stock market also rallied more than 2%. The reason? The highest unemployment rate in nearly 17 years stirred up speculations among investors that the Congress will speed up the passage of the stimulus plan proposed by the President. For the week, the Dow Jones Industrial Average rose 3.5% to 8280.59, the S&P climbed 5.17% to 868.60, and the Nasdaq surged 7.81% to 1591.71. Crude oil declined 3.62% to $40.17 a barrel and Gold dropped 1.50% to $912.30/ounce while Silver posted a 4.21% gain to close the week at $13.125/ounce.

Weekend readings

how I made a courageous decision to become an entrepreneur @ Brip Blap

To Get A Stimulus Check, A Company Needs To Cap Executive Pay @ The Digerati Life

Preparing For A Layoff – Pay Debt or Save Money? @ Frugal Dad

What Republican Leaders Deem Wasteful in the Proposed Stimulus Plan – Do You Agree? @ Generation X Finance

Financial Football Teaches Students about Personal Finance @ Lazy Man and Money

Can You Invest Solely in ETF’s? @ Million Dollar Journey

7 Things Your Insurance Company or Agent Won’t Tell You @ Money Smart Life

How Much Money Do You Have to Make to File Taxes? @ My Dollar Plan

Job Hunting Costs Are Tax Deductible @ Bargaineering

Investment Strategies Based Your Time Horizon @ Personal Finance Reviews

Some great sources for free audiobooks @ Mighty Bargain Hunter