“Compared to trading, constructing an all-weather investment portfolio is a tractable and elegant challenge.” (InVivoAnalytics.com)

Since we are all “human and fallible”, checklists make sense for pilots, doctors and traders. (26econ.com)

“Where are all the hedge fund losers?” (FT Alphaville)

Is the timing right for the largest IPO ever? (MarketBeat, DealBook, Market Movers)

On the prospect for options on gold ETFs. (Daily Options Report)

Time varying fear of disaster helps explain a number of macro-finance puzzles. (SSRN.com)

“Complexity exists all around us in many well-managed forms. Blaming hedge fund drawdowns on complexity is like blaming the complexity of your laptop when it crashes.” (All About Alpha)

Survivorship bias, and why low costs funds have a better chance of outperforming their benchmark. (Morningstar.com)

Signs of inflation are popping up all around the globe. (Capital Spectator)

“The solution is for investors to refuse to get within 20 feet of a mortgage-backed security that is backed by dumb loans. If you do not know what a dumb loan is, you might want to consider investing in a different kind of instrument.” (Calculated Risk)

Spreads on Fannie Mae MBS are widening out. (naked capitalism)

Existing home sales “slipped” in January. (Big Picture)

“Does bias on the part of U.S. investors in favor of companies headquartered within their home states create opportunities for geographical abnormal returns?” (CXO Advisory Group)

What, if anything, is Apple (AAPL) going to do with its vast (and growing) cash hoard? (Financial Week)

Is Microsoft (MSFT) barking up the wrong tree? (DealBook)

Economic activity is becoming increasingly “spiky” based on geography. (USNews.com)

Has U.S. consumption of gasoline peaked? (Infectious Greed)

Is “freeconomics” the future of business? (Wired.com)

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