First day of the month means a new commentary piece from FundAlarm.

David Gaffen at MarketBeat notes that economists are beginning to get “wobbly” on the fate of the economy.

James Picerno at the Capital Spectator on the weakness in the ISM.

Mark Hulbert at Marketwatch.com on the “revenge of the utility (stocks).”

Bill Gross thinks the corporate bond rally, abetted by credit derivatives, has come to its end. (via Bloomberg.com)

Chart of the Day notes something to look forward to this election season.

Random Roger explains his approach to a well-diversified portfolio.

Simply Options Trading reminds us of some key lessons from Jack Schwager’s Stock Market Wizards.

Jenny Anderson in the New York Times on permanent financing and the maturation of hedge funds.

Paul Kedrosky at Infectious Greed notes the growing asset base of hedge funds relative to their more staid mutual fund cousins.

Going Private takes a look at what “fair” really means when it comes to MBOs and private equity.

John Carney at DealBreaker.com on Kirk Kerkorian and his willingness to change his mind.

Roger Ehrenberg at Information Arbitrage has some strong feelings on the phenomenon that is Jim Cramer.

Janet McFarland and Paul Waldie in the Globe & Mail on options backdating north of the border.

Daniel Gross at Slate.com on the relatively high pay of U.S. exchange executives.

Stephen J. Dubner at the Freakonomics Blog on theories (way) before their time.

Thanks for checking in with us, as always you can contact us with any questions or comments.