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The Utilities SPDR (XLU) is not partaking in the 2010 market advance.”  (StockCharts Blog)

Cyclical stocks have been on a tear.  (Crossing Wall Street)

A big contrarian call on natural gas.  (The Reformed Broker)

Is the VXX the new UNG?  (ETF Database, Daily Options Report)

Schwab (SCH) is getting into the Treasury ETF business.  (IndexUniverse)

Blackrock (BLK) is looking to push ETFs into the 401(k) market.  (Bloomberg)

Discounting the luck factor when it comes to mutual fund returns.  (WSJ)

“Instead of worrying about the money, concern yourself with doing the right thing according to your plan.”  (Mark Minervini)

Why low volatility-low beta stocks tend to outperform.  (SSRN via Falkenblog)

On the persistence of ROIC performance.  (Greenbackd)

David Merkel, “Though all debts net out to zero across the global economy as a whole, a lot depends on who owns the debts.”  (Aleph Blog)

The “fear of disaster” accounts for much of the equity risk premium.  (CXO Advisory Group)

On the use (and abuse) of quant models on Wall Street.  (Institutional Investor)

Look for private equity firms to nab dividends pre-IPO.  (peHUB)

We are on the cusp of an M&A cycle.  (FT Alphaville)

Louis Bacon warns that a Eurozone breakdown may be at hand.  (Fund My Mutual Fund)

It is hard to criticize John Paulson when he was the only one in all of this doing actual analysis.  (The Balance Sheet)

Bess Levin talks with John Paulson chronicler Greg Zuckerman.  (NY Observer also Felix Salmon)

Buying Goldman Sachs (GS) stock right now is a contrarian bet.  (CNNMoney)

The case against Goldman Sachs.  (Time)

Will Goldman eventually settle?  (DealBook, The Daily Beast)

Revisiting the Magnetar trade.  (Felix Salmon)

The Goldman case is going to come down to very specific representations.  (The Conglomerate)

Steve Randy Waldman, “Synthetic securities are not so strange. Many retail investors own them.”  (Interfluidity)

The miracle that is financial reform legislation.  (The Stash)

Maybe Ben Bernanke should get a big bonus for 2009 performance?  (EconomPic Data)

Weekly unemployment claims drop, PPI rises and existing home sales.  (Calculated Risk, Free exchange, CR)

John Paulson is now calling for a V-type economic recovery.  (Deal Journal)

Greece’s budget deficit was higher than expected and catches a downgrade.  (WSJ also FT Alphaville, Bloomberg)

China is THE world pork superpower.  (Real Time Economics)

The market timing mindset has infiltrated the housing market.  (Curious Capitalist also Felix Salmon)

Headlines aside GM still has a long way to go.  (Forbes, Kid Dynamite)

The turnaround at Starbucks (SBUX) continues.  (Crossing Wall Street)

What is Apple going to do with all that cash?  (WSJ also Silicon Alley Insider)

Dean Kamen is still out there inventing neat stuff.  (Fortune)

Congrats to Jay on his 2nd blogiversary.  (market folly)

Dr. Brett is winding down his excellent blog.  (TraderFeed)

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