• Meanwhile, over in Hades…
  
  
• As discussed on the Buzz out of this morning’s gate, I flattened my remaining put positions into the initially harsh morning muck.  I wasn’t huge—it was actually a shadow of my former size—but the mechanics of the swing should be noted nonetheless.
  
  
• Why?  S&P 1490, for one, and the sense that the bulls would try to “kitchen sink” the Citigroup (C) news.

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• Love for sale!
  
  
• The Hang Seng was off a finski (5%) after China's Premier said that the government needed to study risks, increase knowledge and prepare regulations to protect the markets (the markets?) in Hong Kong and at home before allowing individual investors to buy shares.
  
  
• 5%?!?!  That brings this index all the way back to... October 23 levels. 
  
  
• Still, see the long-term parabolic frolic and respect the nature of bubble psychology.  It was different in dot.com.  It was different in real estate.  It was different in a debt bubble.  And it's different now.  Or not.
  
  
• But will the Chinese balls stay in the air until the Beijing Olympics?
  
  
• On my word, I saw something over the weekend that made me think to myself, "Self, Interactive Corp (IAC) sure seems to be worth more from a "sum of the parts" standpoint.  Diller is a sharp cookie... I wonder why he doesn't whack it up?"
  
  
• Vikram Pandit was my boss while I was at Mother Morgan.  Smart guy, for what it's worth, and very mild mannered.
  
  
• I wonder if Gisele bottom ticked the buck?
  
  
• Green seeds nustled in the muck? Beta---from Baidu.com (BIDU) to Research in Motion (RIMM) to Google (GOOG)--is performing and until this hiding spot gets rocked, we'll likely see more motion than movement.
  
  
• And yes, I thought the Amazon (AMZN) news a few weeks ago was that pebble in the pond too.
  
  
• General Electric (GE) and AIG (AIG) also stand out, if for no other reason than they're tertiary financial plays (financials in drag are next in line on the domino chain).
  
  
• And you’re gonna trade this way?
  
  
• Toss Boots & Coots (WEL) on your radar as well. If the Middle East is heating up, and certainly no pun intended, this little frisker could benefit.
  
  
• Trade.  Don't hope.  The definition of an investment should never be a trade gone awry.
  
  
• Keep an eye on crude as well--it's gnawing back to the flat line. 
  
  
• And deep breaths, Minyans, it's a marathon, not a sprint and we're gonna need some mojo on the back half of this week!
  
  
• As always, I hope this finds you well.

R.P.

Holiday Festivus is here!  Come join us and support the Ruby Peck Foundation For Children's Education at an old-fashioned Southern-style hoe-down in the heart of New York City on December 7th.  Click the image below to learn more!