Analysts say high inventory will keep a lid on prices in the coming months but these will pick up in 2013 unless policy makers roll out tougher curbs.

WSJ: China Developer Sees More Weakness

But it insists that it will still strictly enforce existing curbs on people, especially out-of-towners, buying more than one home.

ECONOMIST: China��s economy

They must now try to figure out how to craft curbs that could pass constitutional muster, but it is not entirely clear what these might be.

ECONOMIST: The Nine strike down a gun ban and delight the firearms lobby

In addition, Cyprus's government is preparing aggressive curbs on the flow of cash out of the country, which will cap the amount of cash people can bring out of the country, as well as the amount of credit-card purchases of goods outside Cyprus.

WSJ: U.S. Stocks Sag

The fear is that, even though job losses have been contained through such pay curbs, the resilience of late 2009 may turn out to be short-lived.

ECONOMIST: Why there are renewed worries about unemployment

He planned to fill out the remainder of his term updating chemical-safety laws, enacting new curbs on gun violence and steering federal dollars back to New Jersey to help communities rebuild after superstorm Sandy.

WSJ: New Jersey Sen. Frank Lautenberg Dies