Morning all. Friday's market reports:

The Times
The Times (Need to know)
FT
The Guardian
The Independent
This is Money

Saturday

Families must brace themselves for a slump of far greater severity and longevity than the recessions of the 1980s and 1990s, they warned. They said the current crisis will be of a scale to rival the biggest peace-time crisis in modern history the Great Depression.
Britain on the brink of an economic depression, say experts

The pound slid to the lowest level since 1985 after Britain fell into its first technical recession in 17 years.
UK recession sends pound to new low

Retail sales defied expectations again last month with a surprise 1.6 per cent rise for the Christmas period, official figures revealed. But the Office for National Statistics (ONS) said the value of sales fell 0.8 per cent compared to last year, the worst performance since records began in 1986.
Surprise rise in retail sales figures

Shares in Barclays plunged again yesterday amid mounting speculation that the Government is preparing to take a stake in the undersiege bank. They tumbled 8p to 51.2p, falling for the ninth consecutive trading session, completing a run that has seen Barclays lose nearly three quarters of its stock market value in just 12 days.
Speculation grows that Barclays will be bailed out as investors 'throw in the towel'

Sunday

The 25pc fall in sterling since early 2008 has sparked fears of a run on the pound, and prompted warnings that the UK is facing near-bankruptcy. However, experts said the fall should be regarded as a "competitive devaluation" which would help lessen the pain for the UK in the coming years.
Fall in sterling may avert UK depression

City law firm Taylor Wessing is believed to be working on a plan to create a bank backed by six leading UK listed corporates disenchanted with the failing lending institutions in the Square Mile.
Fed up companies plan to launch their own lender

THE government was under pressure last night to investigate the role of auditors in the collapse of British banks, after a Sunday Times investigation into fees paid to the big four accountancy firms.
MPs probe bank auditors

Cheap car loans to encourage nervous motorists back into the showrooms could be unveiled this week under plans being drawn up by the government to rescue the stricken motor industry.
Cheap loans for drivers in car industry bail-out plan

DAVID DANNY BLANCHFLOWER, the member of the Bank of Englands monetary policy committee (MPC) who consistently warned of the danger of recession, believes UK interest rates should obviously head down to Americas near-zero level.
Rates must head down to zero, says MPC member

Fears are growing that Nomura, the Japanese investment bank that bought large chunks of the failed Lehman Brothers bank last year, could face a downgrade in its credit rating in the coming weeks as the group continues to integrate large parts of the American firm into its business.
Nomura on slide in ratings

Monday

Royal Bank of Scotland is planning to clear out its boardroom to surround its new chairman with fresh financial brains, as it emerged previous management may face a police investigation over whether they misled shareholders.
RBS shake-up planned amid 'deceit' claim

The Royal Bank of Scotland, which is now 70 per cent owned by the taxpayer, is preparing to become the guinea pig for the next stage of the Government's rescue programme for the banks placing some 50bn-100bn of loans into the Treasury's new loss-insurance scheme.
RBS set to be first test of bank bailout scheme

NIKKEI 225	AUSTRALIA ASX200	SHANGHAI	HANG SENG

KOSPI	VIX

The week ahead: Investors gear up for a deluge of weak earnings and the biggest plunge in GDP in 26 years.
CNN Money - Earnings, economy - here comes 'terrible'