Press Review – 2009 Outlook, Hedge Fund & Other…

Over the last three weeks I bookmarked a few articles and blog posts I really liked. They cover different subjects, and some can be controversial. I do not agree with all, but they all got me thinking; which is the reason why I wanted to give them this estrade. Here we go:

The Credit Suisse has an interesting take on where we start this new year and the how 2009 may be pivotal for many reasons. Developed Economies Enter 2009 in Recession touches many different topics, keeping it simple and interesting. A good read.

The Bag Lady Paper shares the story of Alexandra Penney who lost her life saving in the Madoff debacle. So as to better protect the likes of Ms. Penney, Morninstar calls for more transparency and investor protection following the Madoff affair. Quite expected if you ask me. Too many people just got lazy and stopped asking questions when time were good. Yet, it may not go down well with some fund managers like Kenneth C. Griffin, who made his fortune on the back of the hedge fund ride and who is featured in an interesting piece about Hedge Funds in the NY Times.

Farish A. Noor is one of my favourite Malaysian thinker. He writes very provoking pieces and loves nothing more than challenging the status quo. His piece 5 part piece on Gaza and the Liberal Conscience really got me thinking. It raises a lot of question, many objections, and I really am glad I read it.

I could not end up not having a couple of articles from The Economist. The first is discussing Risk aversion and how our financial decisions are influenced by our past experiences. As we tend to reflect on our past perception of a situation to define our financial choices, it got me thinking on how to best exchange and discuss about it with my wife and future kids; so as they can make informed decisions. The second one is about Barack Obama – getting back on track. I particularly liked the very useful little flash application at the end of the article summarizing the top issues Mr. Obama will face, his cabinet and white house staff – I tried to embedd it here for a good 30 minutes; alas, I did not manage…