Quotes of the day
Seth Godin, “Halloween and the Super Bowl are the new secular holidays, the group-mania events that prove we’re able to stay in sync.” (Seth Godin)
Michael Brendan Daugherty, “..the community parties, the enormous and elaborately fried feasts, and the felt-obligation to “be a part of it” that have made this Sunday into the most religious day in the American calendar.” (The Week)
Chart of the day
Utilities (and REITs) were standouts last week. (StockCharts Blog, Global Macro Monitor)
Markets
The sentiment picture going into February is pretty stark. (Short Side of Long)
A look at the sad five year history of $VXX and $VXZ. (VIX and More)
Ranking countries by their CAPE ratio. (Telegraph)
Strategy
Corrections are a regular occurrence. What next? (A Dash of Insight)
How did the ‘couch potato‘ portfolio do in 2013? (Scott Burns)
Why ‘buying what you know‘ is a flawed strategy. (Blackrock Blog via BI)
Companies
The next big product from Apple ($AAPL) could be a health/fitness focused wearable. (9to5Mac also A VC)
The US is getting saturated with casinos. (Time)
ETFs
The February MFO commentary is chocked full. (Mutual Fund Observer)
The only convertible bond ETF has garnered some $2 billion in AUM. (Morningstar)
Global
Emerging markets are at a critical point. (Humble Student)
Who is to blame for the most recent emerging markets crisis? (Felix Salmon)
Five reasons the ECB will have to ease again. (Sober Look)
What is wrong with the Russian economy? (Marginal Revolution)
Economy
A look back at the economic week that was. (Bonddad Blog)
The economic schedule for the coming week. (Calculated Risk, Turnkey Analyst)
Earlier on Abnormal Returns
What books Abnormal Returns readers purchased in January. (Abnormal Returns)
Are alternative assets a solution to the 401(k) problem? (Abnormal Returns)
Top clicks this week on the site. (Abnormal Returns)
What you missed in our Saturday linkfest. (Abnormal Returns)
Mixed media
Not everyone wants to retire. (NYTimes)
Why print publications have had such a difficult time going online. (GigaOM)
Will anonymity make for a better social experience? (Recode)
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