Due to time constraints here is an early version of the linkfest.  Enjoy!

Markets

The underpinnings of the current rally remain in place.  (The Reformed Broker)

A really long term look at the gold/silver ratio.  (Money Game)

On the non-existent silver shortage.  (Kid Dynamite)

In praise of the five day moving average.  (AlphaTrends, ibid)

Companies

Verizon (VZ) shareholders like the T-Mobile deal.  (Bespoke)

Sprint Nextel (S) is a financial black hole.  (Crossing Wall Street)

Is Barclays (BCS) too big for Britain? (FT Alphaville, WSJ)

Finance

Look out NYSE-Nasdaq, BATS plans to launch a US stocks listing business.  (WSJ)

Avoid companies that pay for analysis.  (Aleph Blog)

Have hedge funds gotten too big?  (Pension Pulse)

How Fannie and Freddie became “the world’s largest and most leveraged hedge funds.” (Bloomberg)

Economy

Nothing to see here.  ADP payroll figures in line.  (Calculated Risk)

On the end of QE2 and the prospects for QE3.  (Gavyn Davies, Stock Sage)

Rising energy costs are beginning to bite consumers.  (Econbrowser)

Why the Fed shouldn’t overreact to increases in food and oil prices.  (Economix)

Do mortgage down payments matter?  (Atlantic Business)

A striking scatterplot.  (Mankiw Blog)

Do corporations have the wherewithal to start spending on capex.  (FT Alphaville)

Labor markets after financial markets are always slow to pick up.  (Big Picture)

The elderly and retired are crowding out teenagers from the jobs market.  (Fortune Finance)

Mixed media

On the role of randomness (and margins) in sports.  (EconLog, ibid)

On the curious link between altitude and goodness.  (Scientific American)

On the importance of having time to think.  (Slate)

Our Wednesday morning live link look-in.  (Abnormal Returns)

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