In a market like this one, it pays to note the subtle differences between ostensibly similar assets. For example, there are car stocks and then there are car stocks. (Yes, I am writing about cars again, but not for the whole column, honest!)

Intel Dealt $1.45 Billion Fine; WSJ: Gov’t Wants Financial Sector Pay Overhaul; Verizon Divests Access Lines for Stock; AIG Says 5 Years to Pay Back Gov’t; Foreclosures Jump to Record High; Geithner: Small Banks to Get TARP Funds; Auto Dealers Get The Axe; Ford Raises $1.4 Billion From Stock Sale

Krugman: U.S. in Danger of Lost Decade; Trichet Sees First Signs of Recovery; Plavix Could Have Serious Competitor; Intel Could Face Record Antitrust Fine; GM Open to Leaving Detroit; Microsoft in First Bond Offering; Dish Network Beats Expectations; Nortel Blows a Fuse

The 31st bank is closed in 2009… China is showing signs of improvement…  The so-called “decoupling” taking place?
Jobs Jamboree ends the week… And Now… Today’s Pfennig!

Goldman Sachs thinks you can make 40% on Ford. I think that figure should be a lot closer to 400%. China has finally, truly and wholeheartedly embraced “21st century American-style capitalism.” God help them.

Sources: GM May Drop Pontiac, GMC Brands; Rosetta Stone IPO Soars; Turkey Benchmark Rate at Record Low; Zurich Financial Buys AIG’s Auto Insurance Unit; NYT Will Cut Content; Canadian Factory Orders Rise; Copper Falls on China GDP; Falling U.S. Homestarts; Bankruptcy “Cram Down” Bill Falters in Senate

In a move that would effectively nationalize the country’s largest automaker, the U.S. government is considering taking an equity stake in General Motors Corp. (GM) in exchange for part of the $13.4 billion it has already lent the company, Bloomberg News reported, citing people familiar with the matter.

Bad news for car makers rallies the US$…  Yen comes back strong…  Singapore to devalue?…  German Chancellor Merkel gives warning… And Now… Today’s Pfennig!

“Substantial doubt,” say auditors at Deloitte & Touche. They’ve been studying GMs figures. The numbers make them wonder whether the automaker can continue as a “going concern.”

Auditors: GM Bankruptcy Necessary; Ford Plans to Reduce Debt by 40%; Wal-Mart Feb. Numbers Strong; Google Sitting on $8.6 Billion in Cash; Mortgage Delinquencies Hit Record High; Blockbuster Won’t File for Bankruptcy; Citigroup Shares Break the Buck; Oil Falls Below $44