♦ Citigroup is in talks to buy a regional bank, says the WSJ. Which bank it is they're planning to acquire isn't clear. [WSJ]
♦ The bailout of AIG that was originally going to cost $85 billion and was later revised to $123 billion? Yea, well, now it's $150 billion. [WSJ, Bloomberg]
♦ October was another down month for hedge funds: Since the beginning of September, the average fund has shed 10 percent. [NYP, Bloomberg]
♦ The man who may go down as the hedge fund industry's big winner in 2009: Jim Chanos, whose Ursus fund is up 50 percent so far this year. [NYP]
♦ Asian stocks rallied on Monday after China announced a $586 billion bailout package. [Bloomberg]

♦ Circuit City has filed for bankruptcy protection. [DB]
♦ HSBC's third quarter profit was up thanks to an asset sale, but the bank reported US operations were hit hard. [Marketwatch]
♦ In case you missed it, the lengthy Times piece from yesterday on how Merrill Lynch collapsed. [NYT]
♦ DHL is cutting 9,500 jobs. [CNNMoney]
♦ "I'm not Robert De Niro, but I'm raging bull on private equity," says Steve Schwarzman. [Economist]