The bottom line

The global financial crisis will add at least 20 million people to the world’s unemployed, bringing the total to 210 million by the end of next year, the International Labor Organization, a U.N. agency, estimated.
Associated Press

In 2007, Wall Street’s five biggest firms—Bear Stearns, Goldman Sachs, Lehman Brothers, Merrill Lynch, and Morgan Stanley—paid out $39 billion in employee bonuses. Their shareholders lost $74 billion over the same period.
ABCnews.com

The financial slowdown has hit the art market. The most recent auctions of contemporary art at Sotheby’s and Christie’s brought in $93.4 million, well below pre-sale estimates of $204 million.
The Wall Street Journal

Help-wanted postings for environment-related jobs paying more than $100,000 annually climbed 25 percent this year, according to TheLadders.com, a job-search site.
Forbes

They may be cutting back on parties and perks, but big Wall Street firms aren’t slashing their lobbying budgets. Merrill Lynch, Morgan Stanley, and Wells Fargo all increased payments to lobbying firms in the third quarter.
The Wall Street Journal