Q&A: Is civilization overrated? A talk with James Scott author of Against the Grain: A Deep History of the Earliest States: A Deep History of the Earliest States. (Vox)
Quote of the Day
"Pretty much every single human with a smartphone and access to the internet could have bought Bitcoin and or Ethereum the last few years and trounced the best angel investors and venture capitalists."
(Howard Lindzon)
Markets
- Just how low volatility has been in 2017. (bloomberg.com)
- The slope of the yield curve is not a concern yet. (ftalphaville.ft.com)
- Just in case you needed another lesson in why you shouldn't mix politics and portfolios. (bclund.com)
November
- How various tactical asset allocation strategies performed in November 2017. (allocatesmartly.com)
- A deep dive into sector performance in November. (mrzepczynski.blogspot.com)
High yield
- What are high yield bonds? (pensionpartners.com)
- Some cautionary words on high yield bond ETFs. (blogs.cfainstitute.org)
Books
Cryptocurrencies
- Is there pent up demand to short Bitcoin? (bloomberg.com)
- How much of Bitcoin's rise can be attributed to our political situation? (ft.com)
- Why CTAs will soon be including Bitcoin amongst their trading vehicles. (bloomberg.com)
- Next week Chicago will be the center of the Bitcoin world. (wsj.com)
Companies
- A list of the US companies with the most cash held overseas. (axios.com)
- Just how big is the smart speaker market? (aboveavalon.com)
Finance
- The big banks are taking threats of a massive cyberattack seriously. (wsj.com)
- How the City of Chicago was able to issue AAA-rated bonds. (wsj.com)
Fund management
- Blackrock ($BLK) and Vanguard are on track the asset management industry. (bloomberg.com)
- Female fund managers are more likely to leave the industry at any age. (wsj.com)
Support
- Stay up-to-date with all of our posts: sign-up for our daily e-mail. (abnormalreturns.com)
- Want to support Abnormal Returns? Get yourself (or someone you love) an annual membership. (abnormalreturns.com)
- Love Abnormal Returns? Like us on Facebook. (facebook.com)
Global
Economy
- The economy can't be explained by the numbers alone. (awealthofcommonsense.com)
- Could the Fed offer a digital currency at so (wsj.com)
CVS-Aetna
- How the deal could transform CVS stores into 'front doors' into the health care system. (money.cnn.com)
- The case for the CVS ($CVS)-Aetna ($AET) merger. (nytimes.com)
Earlier on Abnormal Returns
- ETF links: R&D labs. (abnormalreturns.com)
- What you missed in our Sunday linkfest. (abnormalreturns.com)
- Top clicks last week on the site. (abnormalreturns.com)