- Obama unveiling the “Volcker Rule” last week was encouraging, but there are still reasons to be skeptical, Simon Johnson says. “There are very real indications that the conversation is either superficial (on the economic side of the White House) or entirely a marketing ploy (on the political side),” he says.
- A tablet may not be Apple’s (AAPL) only major announcement at Wednesday’s event. Reports are circulating that Apple could announce the end of its AT&T (T) iPhone exclusivity deal later this week.
- Speaking of Apple, the buzz surrounding Wednesday’s event and expected unveiling of the tablet is reaching epic proportions. WSJ’s Digits blog looks at some of the bizarre tablet rumors. NYT’s David Carr is amazed at how Apple can drum up so much buzz without saying anything. And David Pogue says “The only thing we know for sure about the Apple tablet is that we don’t know anything for sure.”
- Are stocks ignoring earnings? Or has the market already priced in a strong earnings season? Bespoke weighs in.
- Disappointing existing home sales data this morning, but new home sales is what really matters for the economy, Calculated Risk says.
- Journalists, economists, bloggers and others weigh in on the troubles facing Ben Bernanke’s confirmation as Fed chairman. WSJ’s Real Time Economics has the details.
- Insider buying falls to a new low for week ending Jan. 20, while insider selling remains high. Not surprising corporate insiders are expressing little faith in their own shares. “As of now, signs of a sustained rebound in earnings and revenues remain mixed,” the Pragmatic Capitalist blog says.
- Sun Micro (JAVA) CEO Jonathan Schwartz is set to resign, leaving JAVA in hands of new owner Oracle (ORCL), Digital Daily blogger John Paczkowski reports, citing sources close to Sun.
- Tishman gives up Stuyvesant Project to its creditors in the collapse of one of the most high-profile deals of the real-estate boom, WSJ reports.
- StockTwits acquires the financial news aggregator Abnormal Returns, which is great all-around for the econoblogosphere and one-man blogs in particular, Felix Salmon says.
