The linkfest is a bit earlier (and less comprehensive) than usual today.

Long term charts of the real price of silver and the Dow.  (Fundamental Insights, Chart of the Day)

Which “golden cross” is more effective?  (MarketSci Blog)

Revisiting the performance of some ‘lazy portfolios.’  (World Beta)

“To criticize ETFs is a little like criticizing cars – just because people can and do misuse them and get hurt, the majority of people are responsible and careful. It’s certainly okay to raise some caution and make investors aware of the risks, but after that, it’s up to them.”  (ETF Trends also Felix Salmon)

“When demand for new index funds becomes sated, the only way the ETF industry can grow is to offer more actively managed ETFs.”  (The Big Money)

Some Bogle nuggets like this:  “It is the easiest thing in the world to look backward on paper and pick out strategies that have won.”  (The Guru Investor)

Don’t get too carried away with the United States Natural Gas Fund (UNG).  (WSJ also FT Alphaville)

Is the First Trust ISE-Revere Natural Gas ETF (FCG) a worthy alternative to UNG?  (IndexUniverse)

Blackrock-BGI may be a harbinger of more asset management deals to come?  (Economist, ibid)

Not much demand for Berkshire Hathaway (BRK) options.  (Barron’s)

Commercial paper outstanding continues to fall.  (The Pragmatic Capitalist)

Is the pullback in the Canadian dollar an opportunity?  (WSJ)

Have the financial markets outpaced the real economy?  (Economist)

What are the underlying goals of financial regulation?  (Atlantic Business)

How did the too-big-to-fail banks get that way in the first place?  (The Reformed Broker)

An interesting short piece with Michael Lewis talking about the Feds can’t imagine a world without Goldman Sachs (GS).  (Clusterstock)

“From all indications, whatever political momentum the Administration anticipated for financial reform has already begun to dissipate, even for the pathetically watered down trash they offered up yesterday.”  (Epicurean Dealmaker)

“Buried in Obama’s financial reform plan is a requirement to make stockbrokers act in the best interests of their clients (“fiduciary responsibility”).”  (Clusterstock also Big Picture)

How to get better regulators.  (Baseline Scenario also WashingtonPost)

On the curious timing of bank exec perk revelations.  (The Stash)

This can’t be good.  State income tax revenues plunge.  (Real Time Economics)

KKR rethinking is plan to list on the NYSE.  (peHUB)

Read “Bailout Nation.”  (Random Roger)

The sale of the Chicago Cubs drags on and now gets more complicated.  (ChicagoTribune)

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