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WSJ interactive maps/charts of commodity changes in Latin America. Related article.

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Doesn’t bode well for the next trough.

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From FT. Roll overs show breakdown by category

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Interactive chart (roll over mouse to see individual company layoff data)

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No charts. Just a decent letter from CEO Lloyd Blankfein to the FT on mistakes and lessons. Excerpts:

.This over-dependence on credit ratings coincided with the dilution of the coveted triple A rating. In January 2008, there were 12 triple A-rated companies in the world. At the same time, there were 64,000 structured finance instruments, such as collateralised debt obligations, rated triple A. It is easy and appropriate to blame the rating agencies for lapses in their credit judgments. But the blame for the result is not theirs alone. Every financial institution that participated in the process has to accept its share of the responsibility.

.For policymakers and regulators, it should be clear that self-regulation has its limits. We rationalised and justified the downward pricing of risk on the grounds that it was different. We did so because our self-interest in preserving and expanding our market share, as competitors, sometimes blinds us – especially when exuberance is at its peak. At the very least, fixing a system-wide problem, elevating standards or driving the industry to a collective response requires effective central regulation and the convening power of regulators..

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So, that’s 3.5 million more unemployed since Feb 08, and 1.8 million in the last 3 months alone.

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Interactive chart showing economic indicators for US, EU, Japan, and BRIC

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