Home prices fall… again. The latest record-setting swan dives… Chris Mayer on how to spot the bottom… and what to buy when it comes… World’s biggest companies hold shockingly little cash… global market in the hands of Buffett, China… But can China capitalize? Byron King on how China has “reached its pinnacle”… Russian professor predicts end of U.S. by 2010… will Houston be taking orders from Mexico City? Plus, your prophecies for 2009… and The 5’s editors issue a forecasting challenge

Consumer Confidence Climbs; Home Prices Record Plunge; Troubled Banks on the Rise; Oil Falls 7%; Slim’s Bank Buys Citi Stock; D.R. Horton Shares Vault

In the currency market, the dollar firmed against the euro. Late Tuesday, the euro was trading at $1.5696 vs. $1.5763 on Friday.

Bank of America Boosts China Bank Stake; Home Prices Continue to Fall; Record Profit and Resignation for Vodafone; Standard Pacific Stock Shoots Up; Landis&Gyr Lands 7 Million “Smart Meter” Contract; S. Africa Grows a Slow 2.1% in 1Q; Gold Futures Fall $18.