Friday Morning Links

• This link brings up a very important question.  Is Blackrock Inc. the world's biggest money manager, too cozy with Treasury??? More specifically is there cronyism involved here that borders on corruption???  From Bloomberg,  Sree Vidya Bhaktavatsalam and Rebecca Christie reporting
• Dangerous stuff here, that will increase risks in the market.  Called CEBO contracts, Credit Event Binary Options. from prnewswire.  This post over at Zerohedge blog also helps explain "CEBOs" which will behave very similar to Credit Default Swaps.
• Even retail investors (the so called "stupid money") is starting to figure out Chinese stocks, even Chinese stocks listed on U.S. Exchanges are 100% garbage.  Take a look at the ticker symbols listed in this article and avoid them like the plague.  Don't buy them, don't short them.  Put them in quarantine like the vicious Guangdong born SARS disease and don't even touch them or speak their name.
• An interesting look at Citibank with input from Tracy Alloway of FTAlphaville, Jonathan Weil of Bloomberg, and the largely useless FCIC. From FTAlphaville
• Using the VIX futures index to predict market volatility can be a little precarious.  It's still a number worth keeping a peripheral view on.  Izabella Kaminska of FTAlphaville explains
• Hedge Fund margin debt increases drastically.  Another indication there is too much risk and too much danger in the stock market.  From ZeroHedge blog
• Water Scarcity is a big problem in China now, and will be a big problem for China into the foreseeable future.  Something to keep an eye on. Hat tip to Andrew Sullivan's The Dish blog for this article.
• A cute Banner I found over at Andrew Sullivan's The Dish blog:  HERE
• Does Britain have blood on their hands for selling weapons and ammunitions to Libya and other Mid-East/African nations???  A nice map and graphics after the jump. From U.K. newspaper "Guardian"
• Our Female Vision Of The Day:  Alyssa Mylano. HERE,  HERE,  and HERE.