Surprise! Happy 6th Birthday Abnormal Returns

Today is the Sixth Blogiversary of the best financial blog on the web, Abnormal Returns.

Created and edited by the brilliant Tadas Viskanta, Abnormal Returns is the epitome of consistency, reliability and usefulness.  One of the most remarkable things about the site is that Tadas is platform-agnostic and AR is a pure meritocracy – whether you write for the Wall Street Journal or have just thrown up your shingle on a blogspot page, if he thinks what you have to say is important and actionable, you’re going to make the linkfest.  Seven days a week you know you can visit AR and find all of that day’s most crucial articles and blog posts, rain or shine – there isn’t a single other site on the web that you could say the same for.

It has become the utility of the financial blogosphere, If we financial writers and commentators didn’t have an Abnormal Returns we’d have to invent one.

And on top of all this work, when he’s not reading everything out there worth reading, Tadas sometimes finds the time to pull together a thematic post that perfectly encapsulates the real-time zeitgeist of whatever topic he chooses.  I sometimes wish he’d write more original posts – but then I realize it might detract from his linking to mine 🙂

Anyway, enough of my gushing, Abnormal Returns has been such a majorly positive force for so many of us that we’ve decided to throw Tadas a surprise party today to show him our appreciation.  Below, some thoughts and well wishes from the gang…

Jeff Miller (A Dash of Insight):  “Tadas has used talent, vision and hard work to make Abnormal Returns the gold standard in financial news creation.”

Howard Lindzon (StockTwits):  “Tadas has style. He loves curating and sharing and understands the link economy and the social web. We are lucky to have him in the financial blogosphere.”

Mebane Faber (World Beta):  “Tadas is a must read at our shop, and I’d pay more to subscribe to his site than to any newspaper.”

Derek Hernquist (DerekHernquist.com):  “Abnormal Returns has been a must read for me since launch, and a spot in Tadas’ linkfest always feels like the boss saying ‘job well done'”

James Altucher (Intergalactic):  “Without Abnormal Returns to plagiarize from I never would’ve been able to finish the daily ‘blogwatch’ I was doing at thestreet,com. I would’ve had to actually work hard for a living. ”

Charles Rotblut (AAII):  “Tadas has done a wonderful job of providing unique analysis and truly adding to the conversation about what is happening in the markets and the economy.”

JC Parets (All Star Charts):  “It’s the best stuff out there. Plain and simple. If you want to know what’s going on – look no further. I tell this to everyone.”

Tom Brakke (Research Puzzle):  “If it wasn’t for the attention that Tadas has brought to my sites, I might have given up by now. When he doesn’t link to one of my posts, I think to myself, ‘I need to get better.'”

ChessNWine (iBankCoin):  “Tadas has created an ethos at Abnormal Returns where quality work begets more value-added financial content. He encourages more of the ‘good stuff’ from those he links to, and serves as a light at the end of the tunnel for novice financial writers trying to build readership.”

Stock Rabbi (Mixtape):  “What do you mean he’s probably Greek?  He’s so smart that one, are you sure he doesn’t have any Jew in him?  Not even a bissell?”

Sean McLaughlin (Chicago Sean):  “Tadas is the hardest working man in Show-Business, and an even nicer guy. My blog probably wouldn’t have any readers if it wasn’t for Tadas taking an interest in my writing very early on. Thank you Tadas and Happy Blogiversary.”

Jason Raznick (Benzinga):  “Thanks to Tadas and AR for helping to bring the best of the best to the forefront for us all to read for the past 6 years!”

Jeff Carter (Points and Figures):  “Happy 6th Anniversary to Tadas.  Traditional gifts are candy and iron.  Hoping next year he doesn’t get a 7 yr itch.”

Eli Radke (Trader Habits):  “Abnormal Returns has impacted me and countless others, that impact is measured by the inability to remember what life was like before. Meeting Tadas will only make you a bigger fan.”

Felix Salmon (Reuters):  “Abnormal Returns ROCKS. Happy blog-birthday, Tadas!”

Jay (Market Folly):  “Gordon Gekko said that “the most valuable commodity I know of is information.”  In an age where there’s so much information out there, AR makes sure you don’t miss what’s important.”

Justin Paterno (ZeroBeta):  “Abnormal Returns is the motivating force of the financial blogosphere. If you write a blog post, you can’t wait to see if Tadas picks you up – not for the traffic but to see if what you wrote was worth linking to.”

Mark Gongloff (WSJ MarketBeat):  “Abnormal Returns is so important to my daily blogging life that I named my first child “Abbie Normal.” My wife of course had other ideas, but I told her ‘Ritholtz’ was a terrible name for a baby girl.”
Nancy Miller (Journalist):  The secret sauce is not just the expertise that Tadas offers but an open mind and unfailingly polite manner. Everyone and everything gets a fair shake over at Abnormal Returns.”

Joe Weisenthal (Business Insider):  AR is awesome. In many ways, I consider Tadas a blog soulmate, as he started AR right around the same time I started my first financial blog, TheStalwart.com. Before anyone else he sensed that this financial blogging thing would be big, and since then that sense has served him identify and aggregate exactly what needs to be read right at any given time.

DH (Dynamic Hedge):  “Tadas is one of the hardest working guys in the blog game and the most trusted curator of financial content on the web.  He’s a tireless advocate of independent voices in financial media and a permanent MUST READ.  Plus, he’s an all around good dude.  Congratulations on making it to six years, Tadas!”

Fightin’ Joe Donahue (Upside Trader):  “Tadas, I have been reading you for years and your selfless work is so appreciated, the best source for quality links on the web-Joe Donohue.”

David Merkel (Aleph Blog):  “Friend: ‘If I were to read just one blog per day, what should it be?’ David Merkel: ‘Abnormal Returns.  He samples the finance blogs, and gives one concise daily post on the best of what was written.’  Friend: ‘Not your blog?’  David Merkel: ‘Look, my quality varies, and what I write about is quirky.  I don’t have a narrow focus, like most blogs.  Half of what I write won’t appeal to half of my audience, and it is a different half each time.  Plus, I can’t cover everything.  I would go nuts.‘”

Jordan “The Analyst” Terry (Stone Street Advisors):  “I cannot think of another outlet that comes even close to doing what AR/Tadas does; every day, Tadas curates the econ/finance/business web to share a collection of articles of unparalleled depth, breadth, and relevance.”

Roger Nusbaum (Random Roger):  “Tadas, thank you for all the heavy lifting you do to keep all of us better informed than we otherwise would be!”

Eddy Elfenbein (Crossing Wall Street):  “Whenever you make a trade, first think to yourself: ‘What if the other guy has read Tadas today?'”

Carl Richards (Behavior Gap):  “I still remember the first time I made Tadas’s daily link fest…it was one of those rare days where you feel like someone finally found your work to be valuable. We all know how lonely writing can be and Tadas somehow made me feel part of a larger community! Thanks!”

Robert Sinn (The Stock Sage):  “Abnormal Returns is one of a handful of blogs which I religiously visit each and every morning while the coffee is still brewing. Tadas aggregates and curates the very best of the financial blogosphere every day of the year whether there is rain, sleet, or snow.”

Kid (Kid Dynamite):  “Abnormal Returns was the original one stop quality linkfest for quality posts that hadn’t already been cycled throughout the internet.”

Adam Warner (Daily Option Report):  “Whenever I get a post or article linked by Tadas, its like the ultimate stamp of approval.  Six years of reading all of us, wow, that’s like 42 dog years of blog life.”

Barry Ritholtz (The Big Picture):  “Almost a decade ago, I did the weekend linkfest at TheStreet.com. I always thought it was an informative way to tell a narrative via other people’s online musings. I am heartened to see the concept is in good hands!”

Steve Sears (Barron’s):  “To start a new venture is bold. To succeed in that venture is bolder yet. For that new venture to survive the global financial crisis – and emerge stronger – takes a special kind of genius.  Thank you for adding to the knowledge about the markets.”

Erik Swartz (Market Anthropology):  “Tadas runs the best gym in town. He trains you passively through example and diversity.”

Mike Bellafiore (SMB Capital):  “Abnormal Returns shines a guiding light on the best of the best’s work, expanding and gifting the trading community with sharing and integrity.”

Dr. Phil Pearlman (Baltimore Varsity Lacrosse):  “Tadas is the premier arbiter of quality in the financial blogosphere and a great guy to boot. It’s just that simple.”

Eric Jackson (TheStreet):  “The smartest link aggregator in financial news today – period.  Thanks.”

Michael Bigger (Bigger Capital):  “Awesome to have Tadas, he creates shortcuts to the best financial posts of the day.”

Michelle Leder (footnoted):  “Some of us know that it’s really Tadas’ twins that do the work finding all of those links, but don’t worry, Tadas – your secret is safe with us. Big congrats on this milestone!”

Bill Luby (Vix and More):  “Tadas runs a can’t miss learning lab on where, how and what to think about the investment landscape.  Whenever I’m going off the grid, I always park my brain at Abnormal Returns, Tadas makes for more needles and less haystack.”

Jared Woodard (Condor Options):  “Abnormal Returns is the hippocamus of an informed readership: a story, concept, or strategy is barely more than noise until Tadas features it. Abnormal Returns is as essential now as search engines were a decade ago.”

David Blair (Crosshairs Trader):  “Congratulations Tadas for providing valuable tools for market participants. Having the opportunity to stand on the shoulders of innovators such as yourself has made the landscape much easier to negotiate.”

Nick (Barbarian Capital): “And the BEA noted that Q3 GDP was 0.1% higher due to Abnormal Returns saving tens of thousands of people many hours every day…”

TED (The Epicurean Dealmaker):  “Abnormal Returns is an essential component of my toolkit for rapine, pillage, and world domination. Without Tadas, I’m sure I would be a hemp-wearing, dreadlocked slacker getting pepper-sprayed on Broad Street.”

Greg Harmon (Dragonfly Capital):  “Happy Birthday Abnormal Returns and congratulations Tadas.  You have done a lot to help me and countless others share our message, and learn of other important views!  Wishing many more years!”

The FT Alphaville Crew:  “We used to browse. Now we just read Abnormal Returns.”

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Happy birthday Abnormal Returns, here’s to many more!

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Sixth Blogiversary (Abnormal Returns)