Investors pulled $152 billion from hedge funds in Q4 2008.  Although top performers still gained assets. (DealBook)

Was 2008 the year to give Warren Buffett the CEO of the Year Award?  (Jeff Matthews)

Infrastructure is a key theme for 2009.  (Kirk Report)

Who knew there was credit risk in currency ETFs?  (Aleph Blog)

A look at what can happen to the term structure of the VIX in one day.  (VIX and More)

Do we really need a long-term VIX ETN?  (Daily Options Report)

Medium term momentum strategies seem to work in international markets.  (CXO Advisory Group)

Keep an eye on the XLY/XLP ratio.  (Afraid to Trade)

“We ask a simple question. If stocks are so ‘cheap,’ where are the buybacks?”  (market folly)

Venture capital firms are culling their portfolios in the attempt to prop up their best prospects  (WSJ.com)

Merrill Lynch made sure that bonuses got paid in 2008, bailout be damned.   (Dealbreaker, Clusterstock)

Now John Thain is gone from Bank of America (BAC).  (MarketBeat)

The basics of “bank mitosis“.  The ins and outs of building a “bad bank.”  (Baseline Scenario)

The credit crunch showed up in the credit markets first, banks presently.  (Alea)

Chapter 11 is now often leading to liquidation.  (The Big Money)

Jim Rogers thinks the U.K. could go bankrupt.  (The Independent via jdmarkman, also WSJ.com, Mish)

China’s growth rate fell hard, the only question is how much?  (Real Time Economics, naked capitalism, Econbrowser, 1440 Wall Street)

The state of the economy at the start of the Obama administration.  (macroblog)

No wonder auto sales are in the tank.  Vehicle miles are down 3.7% year over year.  (Calculated Risk)

A Fiat-Chrysler alliance won’t change the fact that there is no room for Chrysler in the domestic auto industry.  (Deal Journal)

“Take everything you hear from financial TV, or newspapers (or even this blog) with a grain of salt. In the end, take in all the relevant information (most isn’t) and proceed cautiously…”  (EconomPic Data)

How not to fix the New York Times.  (Market Movers)

What blogs made it on the list of “The 24/7 Wall St. Twenty-Five Best Financial Blogs“? (24/7 Wall St.)

Can blogs make the jump to newsprint?  The Printed Blog is going to try.  (NYTimes.com)

“(P)eople may pay more attention to the size of the numbers involved than the actual economic value, according to the research.”  (Science Blog)

A $1 billion value for the Chicago Cubs always depended on cheap financing that is now gone.  (Forbes.com via InstaPundit)

Thanks for checking in with Abnormal Returns. Feel free to contact us with any questions and/or comments.