And so we close this amazing year…………

Dow Jones Industrial Average	Down 32%
S&P 500 Index	Down 37%
NASDAQ 100 Index	Down 40%
Abby Joseph Cohen's Credibility	Naught.
Slope of Hope	Permabull!

 Be safe, everyone. See you here in 2009.

Although I'd never heard of Roland Burris until his attempted appointment by Gov. Rod Blagojevich yesterday, I've got to say, I'm amazed this guy said yes. What was he thinking?

The phone call must have gone something like this:

Ring! Ring!

Burris: Hello?

Blagojevic: Hey, Roland, it's Rod.

Burris: Mornin', governor.

Blagojevic: Yeah, so, there's this Senate seat that needs filling. I'm the one who gets to decide who gets it. And I'd like it to be you. Interested?

Burris: You had me at "Senate." When's the press conference?

If this Burris fellow had any sense at all, it would have gone more like this:

Ring! Ring!

Burris: Hello?

Blagojevic: Hey, Roland, it's Rod.

*click*

Blagojevic: Hello? {pause} [Expletive deleted]!

Mrs. Blagojevic: (in background) [Expletive deleted]!

Well, we have entered it…..the level of (dramatic pause) peril.

For two months now, every time we enter the low 900s on the S&P, the bulls choke and give it up.

I'm relatively bullishly-positioned right now (long DIG, long ES), even though the quantity of shorts dwarfs the longs. I, for one, would like to see us bust above 920. C'mon, bulls. Can you hack it this time?

When I was growing Prophet as a business, I kept a slip of paper in my drawer than no one else knew about called Prophet Blessings. It was simply a list of lucky breaks and good fortune the business had along the way. Any time I was feeling down, I read the list and recognized how lucky I had been. Compiling the list, it surprised me just how lengthy it was; there must have been about thirty entries on there, and they weren't trivial either.

In my home life, I try to teach gratitude to my kids, even though I'm no shining example of a grateful person. For instance, Mrs. Bear (besides being twice as smart and fifty times better-looking than me) is also a great chef, so after every home-cooked meal, I try to remember to say how lucky we are that mama is such a great cook, and of course they agree; I'd like them to remember such things.

On this last day of the year, I'd like to share some things I'm grateful for about this blog:

• The Readers: I'm not talking about the fact that anyone even bothers to read my ludicrous pontifications; I am speaking about the quality of the audience. We have amassed here, in my opinion, the highest-caliber gathering of any trader's blog. You folks are erudite, inventive, open-minded, and intelligent. You are also very kind, having flooded me over the year with many nice emails, letters, and in some cases, even chocolate and wine. Thank you!
• My Employer: As some of you know, I am a full-time employee of thinkorswim group. My boss, Lee Barba (our CEO) is open-minded and forward-thinking enough to recognize the benefit of my writing a blog such as this. I am grateful my employer has given me the latitude to develop this platform and share my views with the world.
• Other Stars in the Constellation: There are other blogs and web sites out there which were either spawned or inspired by Slope or at least have a kindred soul. The people behind Retracement Levels, Evil Speculator, and other sites listed on my favorites page have the same values that I hold dear: critical thinking, good humor, and applied intellect.

This has been a spectacular year for me, and for many others here as well. Let's collectively prove that 2008 wasn't some kind of bearish fluke, and that the kind of analysis and shared vision we have here can put money in our pockets.

I am humbled by your presence here, and I wish all of you a marvelous 2009. This won't be today's last post, but I wanted to be very sure you understood how appreciative I am.

I'm staying with my DIG long until at least 78 on the OIH.