Despite a wild ride, the stock market is nearly flat since the 2008 election.  (Bespoke, ibid)

How the July “momentum thrust” has played out so far.  (Trader’s Narrative)

Adam Warner, “If your goal is to look brilliant, by all means, call turns. If your goal is to manage money well, you’re better off joining in later.”  (Daily Options Report)

Just how Buffett-like is Buffett’s purchase of Burlington Northern (BNI)? (Rolfe Winkler, Atlantic Business, Reuters, Manual of Ideas, Breakingviews, WSJ)

Is Warren Buffett “doubling down on the carbon-intensive economy“?  (Free exchange also Credit Writedowns)

Paging T. Boone Pickens.  The US is awash in natural gas.  (WSJ)

Hedge funds see less seed money.  (DealBook)

On the importance of learning the lessons from trading losses.  (Abnormal Returns)

Or just be like Goldman Sachs (GS) and never lose.  (Fund My Mutual Fund, Zero Hedge)

Putting together a “dollar proof” portfolio.  (Morningstar)

Research into just how “lucky” options grants were for independent directors and company CEOs.  (SSRN)

Bankrupt companies that have activist hedge funds as their major creditors outperform.  (All About Alpha)

David Leonhardt, “So it’s a good time to remember that when an economy is just coming out of recession, its weaknesses are always more obvious than its potential strengths.”  (NYTimes also Calculated Risk)

The US recovery is “underway” but is ultimately dependent on the resumption of employment growth.  (Econbrowser)

The Fed is going to have difficulty reversing its current policies.  (Real Time Economics)

The Feds are propping up housing to the tune of $300 billion this year.  (Curious Capitalist)

Why it may be possible to have a sustainable advance in stocks without a sustainable recovery by American consumers.  (The Big Money)

Felix Salmon, “There’s a big difference between a too-big-to-fail bank and a too-big-to-fail automaker: leverage.”  (Felix Salmon)

Barry Ritholtz, “The belief in the validity of their models — like the theories they are based upon — is the Achilles heel of the profession.”  (Big Picture)

Bloggers go to the Treasury.  Still no plan to really deal with TBTF.  (naked capitalism, Accrued Interest, Financial Armageddon, Aleph Blog, Across the Curve, Kid Dynamite)

Why did Nobel Prize winners in Economics choose economics?  (Mostly Economics via Economist’s View)

Why a high IQ does not necessarily make you smart.  Hint, decision making skills matter as well.  (New Scientist via True/Slant)

Even the great ones, like John Paulson, have doubts from time to time.  (Dealbreaker)

Jim Ledbetter talks with Gregory Zuckerman about his book The Greatest Trade Ever.  (The Big Money also Dealscape)

An interview with Randall Munroe of xkcd fame (a webcomic of romance,
sarcasm, math, and language).  (mental floss)

The 20 best TV shows of the decade (2000-2009).  (Paste Magazine)

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