There is a lot of cash on the sidelines.  (Bloomberg.com)

“Confidence is a fragile commodity.”  (FT.com)

“Never invest in something you don’t understand.”  (WSJ.com)

“The VIX is what it is. A snapshot of index volatility.”  (Daily Options Report)

High yield bond spreads have come in…a little bit.  (Bespoke)

20 surprises for 2009.  (TheStreet.com)

Models work, until they don’t.  (Crossing Wall Street)

How did ‘lazy portfolios‘ do in 2008?  (Marketwatch.com)

Trading the oil/oil stock ratio.  (MarketSci Blog)

Top ten “dear investor” letters.  (Dealbreaker.com)

The due diligence business is the place to be.  (Clusterstock)

“Right now, to assume that the current muni rally is some sort of all-clear sign is a mistake. ”  (Accrued Interest also Random Roger)

“But an empirically demonstrable edge is just one of the three components that comprise any good trading system.”  (Condor Options)

The terms of the government’s conservatorship of Fannie and Freddie is “confused” to say the least.  (VanityFair.com)

Just how bad might it get for PE-backed firms?  (Market Movers)

“The primary difference between housing wealth and securities wealth is that the latter is concentrated almost exclusively among the wealthy, whereas the former affects persons in all income classifications.”  (FiveThirtyEight.com)

Checking in on the record drop in home prices.  (Big Picture)

Some economic scenarios for 2009.  (Infectious Greed)

The global credit crisis as history.  (Real Time Economics)

Financial globalization has ground to a halt.  (Follow the Money)

“So inflation seems hard to avoid, irrespective of how the upcoming fiscal moves play out.”  (Baseline Scenario)

“if you expect inflation to one day return…buying the 10-year TIPS is a no-brainer, since you currently don’t have to accept a lower yield relative to conventional Treasuries and at the same time you receive an inflation hedge, effectively at no extra cost.”   (Capital Spectator)

STOP with the predictions for 2009!  (Howard Lindzon)

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