Madoff’s strategy supposedly used options, but it never added up.  (MarketBeat, Barrons.com)

When did Madoff go Ponzi?  (Curious Capitalist)

“Why did so many smart people get suckered into losing billions on an implausible con?”  (Daily Beast also Jeff Matthews)

Hedge fund of funds get a black eye from the Madoff scandal and sinks hedge fund indices in November.  (WSJ.com, ibid)

Will the Madoff debacle stick a fork in fund of funds?  (Clusterstock, NakedShorts, Free exchange)

Does the Santa Claus rally really exist?  If so can you play it with option?  (Marketwatch.com also MarketSci Blog)

How to play the January Effect with closed-end funds.  (Trader’s Narrative)

Managed futures have been a beneficiary of recent volatility.  (FT.com)

The VIX is poised for a tumble.  (Daily Options Report)

The Dow is trading at a 30% discount to fair value.  (Morningstar.com)

Las Vegas is on sale.  (Market Movers)

Would saving Lehman Bros. made any difference?  (TheDeal.com, Clusterstock)

Inflation-linked bond derived break-even inflation rates from around the world.  (IndexUniverse.com)

Happy tenth anniversary to the Euro.  (WSJ.com)

Betting on stability in the markets and economy is a risky assumption.  (Aleph Blog)

CFOs are pessimistic, really pessimistic.  (Big Picture also MarketBeat)

“The low saving and high leverage that we saw in 2005 were an anomalous departure from the likely sustainable steady-state values, and there will be no road that leads back to those from here.”  (Econbrowser)

News Corp. (NWS) has underperformed its peers since purchasing Dow Jones a year ago.  (breakingviews.com)

“The implications of Hollywood’s going digital are greater than those of its studio, talent and conglomerate eras combined. A new order is coming, one that takes power away from the conglomerate and puts the consumer in command.”  (TheDeal.com)

Talent is overrated, or said another way “most of us are lazy.”  (American.com)

The top business/finance books of 2008.  (Infectious Greed)

Are you a fan of Abnormal Returns? Check. Prefer to read our posts via e-mail? Check. A simple sign-up form to receive all of our posts in your inbox. Check.