Renowned investor George Soros said Friday the world financial system has effectively disintegrated, and there’s no near-term bottom to this financial crisis in sight.

With $17.4 billion owed to the U.S. government amid falling auto sales, General Motors Corp. (GM) and Chrysler LLC may be forced into bankruptcy to reassure loan repayment.

Thanks to President Obama’s love for green energy, Plug-in Hybrid vehicles will be everywhere in the next few years.

That opens up a promising opportunity for you to buy shares of one of the largest industrial battery producers before they soar in the years ahead.

When firms stop advertising, it is a sure sign of distress says Adam Lass. He says General Motors (NYSE:GM) and FedEx (NYSE:FDX) will be conspicuous by their absence at this year’s Super Bowl. As they struggle to survive the crisis, Adam says both companies a ripe for shorting right now.

Joining a chorus of ailing U.S. automakers, Toyota Motor Co. (TM) yesterday (Monday) forecast its first operating loss in 71 years on plummeting demand and sharp appreciation of the Japanese yen. The announcement prompted Moody’s Investors Service to consider downgrading the company’s top-rated credit.

As I write to you this week, I am back at my parent’s house in Indiana. I have written before about New Castle and the struggles the town went through back in the ’70s and ’80s. Kind of ironic that I am here when President Bush announces that the automakers are getting a $17 billion bailout.

Job market takes another turn for the worse… unemployment data at 26-year high… Government solution:spend… budget and trade deficits swell more than expected… Byron King on falling oil demand… and what it means for long-term investors… Gold soars… Ed Bugos with some fresh price targets… Signs of the times… Chinese bank opens in U.S., world’s biggest LBO collapses… Plus, Chris Mayer on the automaker bailout

Congressional Democrats and the White House yesterday (Wednesday) finalized a short-term package that’ll supply General Motors Corp (GM), and Chrysler LLC with $14 billion in emergency loans.

Steve McDonald looks ahead to the investment climate in the new year. He sees a bounce in the Dow reaching as high as 11,000. But an economic recovery will depend on whether the Obama administration can restore confidence in the public. For 2009’s top money-makers, Steve picks six high-dividend stocks and two corporate bond plays.

The fact that after over 30 years of consistent mismanagement and decline, there is still any discussion on whether or not we should allow the now significantly smaller “Big Three” automakers to fail is clear evidence that Washington has lost all common sense.