GMAC Files to Become a Bank; Unemployment Nears 26-Year High; Mogul Signals Interest in Circuit City; Banco do Brasil Buying Out Rival; Crude Continues Slide; JPMorgan Cuts 3,000 jobs; Stock Market Craters.

Circuit City Stores Inc. (CC) has filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy, a week after the struggling electronics retailer announced it would close 155 of its 566 U.S. stores by Dec. 31 and slash its workforce by 17%.

Carl Icahn is adding to his reputation as a boardroom bully. In a letter to Yahoo Inc. (YHOO) Chairman Roy Bostock, the billionaire investor threatened to seek control of the board and resuscitate takeover talks with Microsoft Corp. (MSFT).

As the dollar continues its historic decline, imported goods will become too costly for many Americans.  In addition, more of those products still made domestically will be exported to wealthier foreign consumers whose appreciated currencies increase their purchasing power.

While 2008 has not been the banner year for mergers and acquisitions (M&A) that 2007 was, several blue-chip operations including Microsoft Corp. (MSFT), Time Warner Inc. (TWX) and JPMorgan Chase & Co. (JPM) have picked up where private-equity firms left off last fall.