Hot Links: Disappearing Props and the Gentle Defense

Stuff I’m Reading this Morning…

The Daily Freakout: Ireland unveils Baileys Bailout, Moodys downgrades Spain, etc.  (NYT) and (Bloomberg)

Quant’s 21 favorite dividend growth stocks from Bank of America (WSJMarketBeat) and 10 from Goldman Sachs  (WSJMarketBeat)

Davidoff on how companies are using the “Gentle Defense” to fight off hostile takeovers.  (DealBook)

Wall Street is twice the size it needs to be. (Fortune)

…and Michael Lewis on the Disappearing Prop Desks. (Bloomberg)

Who are the dozen most consequential market commentators right now?  (TBP)

On the odd report that Vanguard has surpassed Fidelity in mutual fund assets – thanks to active management vs index funds.  (FelixSalmon)

The killer app for CleanTech may be energy storage more than energy generation.  (DealBook)

Hedge fund giant Phil Falcone in a tough spot, a must-read profile.  (Bloomberg)

Greg Giraldo, one of my favorite comics, is dead.  Way too young, sucks.  (ComicsComic) and (SlopeOfHope)

For gold longs looking for the fortitude to hang on: Peak Gold is Upon Us.  (ZeroHedge)