“Is Moody’s Investors Service a member of the free press, or is it a Wall Street firm?”  (Breakingviews.com)

Speaking of Moody’s, the firm put all munis on negative outlook.  (Clusterstock, FT Alphaville)

No wonder considering this story on how municipalities got talked into “complex financial transactions to lower interest rates.”  (NYTimes.com also FT.com)

Hedge funds had a decent March, but lagged the broad equity indices.  (DealBook, market folly)

Is now the right time to merge homebuilders?  (BusinessWeek.com also DealBook, MarketBeat, Deal Journal)

“Short selling is a legitimate form of speculation that fully enhances market liquidity and price discovery.”  (Big Picture)

Will a change in the uptick rule actually change anything?  (Daily Options Report)

How should we value gold?  (Crossing Wall Street)

“It’s when the desire to profit becomes an acute need for profits that performance anxiety is likely to overcome efforts at prudent risk-taking.”  (TraderFeed)

Using the difference in characteristics between issuing firms and repurchasing firms to forecast factor returns.  (SSRN.com)

What happens when SPACs and BDCs get together?  (peHUB.com)

One indicator, bankruptcy related M&A, has yet to signal a bottom.  (FT Alphaville)

The final chapter has not been written on the way AIG unwound CDS contracts in Q1.  (Zero Hedge)

The life insurers are next up with their hands out.  How much longer can this go on?  (Atlantic Business also CNNMoney.com)

Nassim Taleb on how to create “Capitalism 2.0.”  (FT.com also EconLog, Felix Salmon, Atlantic Business)

Why we are seeing such a dramatic reduction in credit balances.  (Clusterstock, EconomPic Data)

By one measure, consumer sentiment is on the mend.  (Bespoke also Big Picture)

L or V? What shape will this economic downturn take?  (Baseline Scenario also Free exchange)

What say Dr. Copper?  (Trader’s Narrative)

Inventory gluts are easing.  (WSJ.com, EconomPic Data)

There is always a bull market somewhere.  Implied farmland P/Es are high.  (Infectious Greed)

Roubini, “Cramer is a buffoon.”  (globeinvestor.com also Dealbreaker)

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