What were the top news stories of 2008? It depends.
Are you talking events? Then it goes market meltdown ... Madoff ... Lehman ... oil ... and on and on. All of these items had many stories written about them. And in that regard my list will pretty much look like the list of any other business news editor.
But what if you just look at the single, one-off pieces of news? We do a lot of those here at CNBC. We break news here. And we have plenty of high-profile prognostications. And we have a plethora of partners and news services we can use. Thanks to our Internet metric counting gizmos, we can see which ones readers piled into in '08.
And that list looks a lot different from your typical end-of-year top stories list. Here it is ...
10.Downturn Spurs 'Survival Panic' for Some in the US
A late December look by Reuters at rash behaviors exhibited by more Americans as a recession undermines a lifestyle built on spending.
9.McCain Shakes Up Race By Picking Sarah Palin for VP
CNBC's John Harwood broke the news about John McCain's choice for a running mate.
8.Nervous Investors Awaiting Two Big Events Next Week
CNBC.com's Albert Bozzo laid out in late October why two economic events, an FOMC meeting and a GDP report, were so critical to the market mood.
7.Strong Rebound Coming in Next 3 Months: Dr. Doom
The sheer amount of money governments are pumping into the financial system will eventually lead to a very strong rally in beaten-down assets, investor Marc Faber said on CNBC in November.
6.Hedge Fund Manager: Goodbye ... And Think Pot
From our partners at Portfolio Magazine, a hedge fund manager's unorthodox kiss off to the industry in October.
5.Citigroup's Move Below $5 Could Trigger Major Selling
Most institutional investors and pension funds are barred from owning stocks below $5. So Citigroup's dance below that level in November raised worries that there'd be a wave of selling, CNBC.com's Jeff Cox reported.
4. US May Lose Its 'AAA' Rating
The United States may be on course to lose its 'AAA' rating due to the large amount of debt it has accumulated, said Martin Hennecke, senior manager of private clients at Tyche, in a November interview on CNBC.
3.Wilbur Ross: Possibly a Thousand Banks Will Close
In an exclusive interview with CNBC.com, Wilbur Ross, chairman and CEO of WL Ross & Co., said in September he sees possibly as many as a thousand bank closures in the coming months. And this will create opportunities for investors.
2.Fannie, Freddie Shares Plummet on Capital Worries
In July, the shares of the mortgage giants were toppling. This story summed up the news and featured some added reporting from CNBC's Diana Olick.
1.Deal Has Been Reached to End Writers' Strike: Eisner
Former Disney chief Michael Eisner broke the news in February on 'Fast Money' that striking Hollywood writers and the studios had reached a deal.
Hope the list looks just as original next year.
Happy New Year!
