Look what Santa brought us for Christmas: a shiny new website. But does the future look as good for business in general as we head into the New Year?

The Wall Street meltdown. Oil at $40 a barrel. Bernie Madoff. Few commentators saw the major business stories of 2008 coming (last year was a tough 12 months for fortune-tellers as well as those in the automotive, financial services and retail sectors), and the current economic uncertainty makes calling 2009's hot topics equally tricky.

Nevertheless, we've had a stab at highlighting some of the business issues that look set to dominate the headlines over the next year. Take a look and tell us what you think. Do you agree? Is there anything we've missed out? And what do you think will be the key talking points for 2009?

The economy, stupid. Recession will reign supreme this year, with bankruptcies, buyouts, budgetary constraints and redundancies littering the landscape. Expect a raft of big mergers across a range of industries as consolidation fever takes hold; those ripe for acquisition include Borders, Chrysler and Yahoo!, to name a few, while anyone without sizeable cash reserves or access to credit will be looking over their shoulders.

Entrepreneurs rule, ok. With unemployment now at a 15-year high and further layoffs forecast for the months ahead, America's creative talent will respond accordingly. Striking out on your own could be the most attractive option for laid-off workers in a tight labor market (good news in itself for those companies targeting the small business sector) and could stimulate a new generation of innovators. Finding funding will be tough, but will ensure the cream rises to the top.

Big government is back. Form an orderly queue, Washington is open for business. The banks have had a piece, as has Detroit; now everyone from the airlines to the manufacturing sector will want a government handout to help them ride out the current financial storm. With more money in the offing, that $700 billion TARP funding will look like small change this time next year.

Help wanted. As frugality becomes the new watchword for businesses and consumers alike, enhanced efficiency will be the driving force behind any purchasing decisions made in 2009. If it can help streamline operations or cut costs, it will be in demand - outsourcing, green tech and unified comms could all be winners here. In a cash-strapped economy, demonstrating immediate benefits as well as long-term potential will be essential.

Changing the guard. Hope and expectation are invaluable to an election battle, but realizing all those campaign promises is tough at the best of times and America's new president faces an uphill task to maintain approval ratings in the face of a shattered economy. Creating jobs and boosting consumer/investor confidence will be his main priorities; if he gets off to a slow start, the Obama backlash could start early.