2 009 was a year of big moves for Warren Buffett. As we wrap up this year and set our sights on 2010, it is a good time to look back at some of the biggest plays and best lessons to take away from the Oracle of Omaha.

S hareholders of Castle Gold Corp. CSG-X have tendered 91 per cent of the company’s stock to Argonaut Gold Inc. AR-X , which offered $1.29 cash each in a deal valued at $102-million

ExxonMobil $41 Billion Purchase Of XTO Energy Tony Daltorio, Investment U Research Over the past three years, small domestic independent oil and natural gas producers have increased US natural gas supplies from an estimated 30 years’ supply to 100 years’ worth, thanks to techniques they developed that help them extract gas from shale rock on a budget. Yet large U.S. oil companies barely paid attention, much less invested in the new technology or the businesses utilizing it.

A person with knowledge of the matter says the U.S. government is moving ahead on a fresh multibillion-dollar cash infusion to stabilize auto financing company GMAC Financial Services GMA-N .

C hina will make it easier for foreign investors to start businesses in the country, especially in its western provinces, the government said in a statement on Wednesday. It said China would open a wider range of sectors to foreign investors and would encourage them to establish labour-intensive businesses in the west, the State Council, or cabinet, decided at a routine meeting. The statement on the government’s website gave few details

J apan’s government said it aimed for economic growth of more than 2 per cent over the next decade, but its long-term plan unveiled on Wednesday lacked detail needed to convince investors the goal is realistic. The world’s second-largest economy emerged from recession in the second quarter, but persistent declines in prices and wages and ballooning public debt threatening Japan’s credit rating have fuelled doubts whether the export-led recovery can be sustained. The government said in its 30-page growth blueprint it would work with the Bank of Japan to overcome deflation as early as possible, but analysts said markets wanted to see how the authorities planned to achieve that.

G old GC-FT edged down in Europe on Wednesday as a rise in the value of the U.S. dollar curbed interest in the precious metal as an alternative asset, and made it a more expensive buy for other currency holders. Trading in Europe, the United States and some parts of Asia was thinned by the Christmas and New Year holidays, with many market participants away until Jan