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Quote of the day
Francisco Dao, “The only thing that matters is what you accomplish. Everything else is bullshit…The only the consistent characteristic of successful entrepreneurs is the ability to get things done.” (Pando Daily)
Chart of the day
Bullish on Amazon’s holiday sales? Buy UPS ($UPS). (Businessweek)
Markets
So many people have an interest in scaring investors. (A Dash of Insight)
Dividend stocks are not a “crowded trade” at the moment. (Sober Look)
Market breadth remains strong. (Bespoke)
Real interest rates point towards lower gold prices. (Money Game also Morningstar)
Beware the rejection of the meridian market line. (Market Anthropology)
Emerging markets
Turkey leads, year-to-date country returns. (Bespoke)
Why the pop in Chinese stocks? (Money Game, FT Alphaville)
It seems like the emerging market trade is coming back into vogue. (The Reformed Broker)
Don’t forget the BRICs do not necessarily equal emerging markets. (Quartz, FT)
Strategy
10 trading tips from the trenches. (Dynamic Hedge)
Adam Grimes, “You probably don’t need 75% of the things you look at or use in your trading.” (Adam Grimes)
Some market misconceptions from Jack Schwager author of Market Sense and Nonsense. (Daily Ticker)
Peer pressure helps investors save more for retirement. (InvestmentNews)
Research
Under what circumstances do conglomerates make sense? (SSRN)
When high beta is bad. (Turnkey Analyst)
Why do CEOs do dumb acquisitions? Because boards let them. (Musings on Markets)
Companies
Facebook ($FB) is joining the Nasdaq 100. (Focus on Funds)
Netflix ($NFLX) pays up for access to Disney ($DIS) movies. (AllThingsD, WSJ)
Is Pandora ($P) the next web darling to fall? (Pando Daily)
Starbucks ($SBUX) is reaccelerating US store growth. (NYTimes)
Apps are bypassing wireless carrier’s text message services. (NYTimes)
Finance
A look back at a list of managers tagged to be the ‘next Warren Buffett.’ (Market Folly)
Why are banks making so much money issuing mortgages these days? (The Daily Beast)
The CLO market is booming once again. (Sober Look)
Funds
Bill Gross patents GDP-weighted bond indices. (Dealbreaker, IndexUniverse)
What matters more brand-wise: the ETF issuer or the underlying index provider? (FT)
Bonds vs. bond funds: the nuances. (LearnBonds)
ETF statistics for November 2012. (Invest With an Edge)
Housing
How much is the Fed holding up housing? (Big Picture)
Is refinancing holding up the economy? (Bonddad Blog)
Will housing survive all the fiscal cliff talk? (Capital Spectator)
Economy
The ISM services index for November continues to show expansion. (Calculated Risk)
A preview of next week’s FOMC meeting. (Tim Duy)
Strong auto sales are pointing towards employment growth. (ValuePlays)
American car sales are getting greener by the month. (Daniel Gross)
Mixed media
Small internet publications are the new thing. (kottke)
Persistence is an “essential element of the good.” (Seth Godin)
On turning your iPhone into an EKG machine. (Fast Company)
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