Over the course of the years that Slope of Hope has been around, a subculture has developed around it, with its own personalities, folklore, and language. Newcomers may find a handful of terms perplexing. I want to be a good host, so here is a handy reference to the terminology you may occasionally see on the board:
AJC – Abby Joseph Cohen, the exotic and mysterious twinkle in Tim’s eye………..plus an astonishing market prognosticator!
BRD – Big Red Down – a declaration that the market is going to move down very soon. This is usually proffered as a wild guess but, when accurate, is cited as a testament to the individual’s predictive abilities.
Bulltard – a relentlessly-optimistic proponent of the stock market invariably pushing higher.
Comment Cleaner – A short, usually content-free blog post whose sole purpose is to keep the quantity of comments one must download to a reasonable figure. The use of this phrase has diminished due to its shameless repurposing on other blogs.
/ES – The S&P e-mini futures contract, a popular trading vehicle among active traders.
NEW POST – An attention-getting comment that Tim posts to encourage people to hop on to his most recent musings. This clever phrase has been pinched by a number of other blogs.
OTIS – “Oh, This Is Silly” – a pronouncement made by a Sloper about something absurd (which typically involves a hyperbolic equity valuation).
PPT – The Plunge Protection Team, more formerly known as the Working Group on Financial Markets. This Federal force is meant to squash bears. It never works over the long haul, although it is very painful in the short- and medium-term.
Retracement Levels – A subscription-based web site popular among Slopers. Also known as RL, and authored by the aforementioned 2sweeties.
S.A.D. Snark And Despair indicator, explained here.
SLIX – a fabricated indicator based on the popularity of Slope. Historically, a surging popularity of the blog indicates an imminent market reversal to the upside.
Slopers – The guileful and erudite individuals who frequent this blog.
SOH -Slope Of Hope.
Sweet Jesus on a Biscuit! – A rarely-used and esoteric interjection proffered by Tim based on a particularly surprising event or observation.
The Lunge (AKA The Thrust, The Big Ride, The Bliss, and The Surge) – The anticipated multi-month raise that occurred in 2009 and 2010.
The Plunge (AKA The Bust, The Big Slide, The Abyss, and The Purge) – The crushing fall of equities following the above-mentioned Lunge/Thrust/Ride/Bliss/Surge that ostensibly will take place Real Soon Now.
Tim’s Girl – synonymous with Christine Romer, the Chair of the Council of Economic Advisors. Ms. Romer is honored by occasional mentions on this blog because of the weighty issues she is tackling with this behemoth of an economy. I could blubber on about the meaty tasks she is facing, but the gravity of the situation is clear – – if she cannot cut the fat that she and her team uncover, this nation’s problems will be gargantuan. Fortunately, Ms. Romer has a voracious appetite for solving problems, and she recognizes that if the mammoth crisis facing our economy isn’t addressed, it will simply get bigger and bigger.
TK – Tim Knight, your good-natured, affable host.
Toshi – Early in Slope’s history, Tim showed this helpful video which is simultaneously disturbing and hilarious. Former regular Leisa henceforth referred to Tim as “Toshi”, and, like the hostess of the aforementioned clip, the name stuck.
