Germany is groping for a mix of top-down direction-setting and bottom-up buy-in for its Energiewende to work.

ECONOMIST: Germany��s energy transformation

The last time we saw a wider spread was on July 8, 2010, when the spread was -36.1 percentage points (bullish sentiment was 20.9% and bearish sentiment was 57.1%.) This occurred just as the market was setting a bottom during the summer months.

FORBES: Investor Confidence Remains High

As for the performance freaks, you can enable Ultimate mode which is right at the bottom of the "ASUS customized setting" menu, but we didn't notice any performance gain during our benchmark tests.

ENGADGET: ASUS PadFone 2 review: two times is a charm for this phone-in-tablet combo

The shares are also in a solid uptrend, gaining more than 52% since setting a near-term bottom in mid-November.

FORBES: Cisco Leads Networkers Lower

Bottom line: Apple, like Silicon Valley itself, is setting a pace way ahead of the rest of the economy.

FORBES: The Biggest Show in Silicon Valley (again)

The yield on a 10-year Treasury note, while not setting records like the 2-year, is still a rock-bottom 2.95%.

FORBES: Financial Crisis Act II: Greece Vs. The Debt Ceiling

The bottom line: Homes can't force family togetherness, no matter how picturesque the setting.

WSJ: Money Lessons From 'Downton Abbey'

Morningstar's Peters says banks have begun setting aside more money as a cushion against bad loans, and that's cutting into their bottom lines.

NPR: IndyMac Collapse Prompts Warning On Other Banks

OECD's indicator of product-market regulation (ie, the extent of state ownership, the red tape involved in setting up a business, and barriers to international trade and investment) again puts India at the bottom of the class.

ECONOMIST: India's economy