• The House approved the auto bailout bill yesterday; what will happen when it gets to the Senate is still up in the air. [NYT]
• The number of Americans filing new unemployment insurance claims last week jumped to a 26-year high. [CNN]
• Stocks slipped in early trading as investors waited to see if the auto bailout gets Senate approval, and because of discouraging economic data. [CNN]

• Goldman Sachs is forcing employees to work five years longer before becoming eligible for full retirement benefits. [Bloomberg]
• Foreclosure filings dropped 7 percent from October to November, according a report released Thursday. [CNN]
• The M&A market hasn't been this slow since Sept 2001. [WSJ]
• How bad is it in Russia? Nervous investors are trading in their rubles for safer investments like flat-screen TVs, laptops, and jewelry. [Bloomberg]