Slope of Hope Blog Posts

Slope initially began as a blog, so this is where most of the website’s content resides. Here we have tens of thousands of posts dating back over a decade. These are listed in reverse chronological order. Click on any category icon below to see posts tagged with that particular subject, or click on a word in the category cloud on the right side of the screen for more specific choices.

About Those Watch Lists

By -

A couple of weeks ago, I decided to remove the watch lists widget from the right column of the blog.

Many people wondered why I did this. Some people supposed that it is because I am managing money for others now, and they figured I didn't want to show my positions. That actually was a pretty minor factor in the decision.

The real reason is speed. I was noticing how having the watch list module on the site slowed down its loading.

I will share, however, my list of shorts positions one last time – "one for the road", as it were. If the market goes south, this is an act of munificence. If the market pushes higher, this is an exploding cigar. In any case, the format is simply "symbol……stop price", and here's the list of all the current shorts in my biggest account.

As a side note, many thanks to those who have written me, volunteering to contribute to the blog. I'll be getting back to you today.

Pushing on a String

By -

I read a quote from Robert Prechter's Elliott Wave Forecast (10/19/2009) in which he described how he felt "calm" for the first time since the low in March about the markets.

I absolutely agree. Recently, I have been more "at peace" with where we are at in the markets than I have at almost any other time last year. In spite of 2009 being very rough for me, I am viewing the markets with a quiet, firm confidence. Even in the face of heckling posts and emails, I know firmly where I need to be positioned in the markets.

And I will say this: the kind of reaction we're seeing at the opening this morning is the best recipe the bears could hope for. Because blow-out earnings may send the markets spiraling higher shortly after they are announced, but it's a flash in the pan. AAPL earnings are great (for the moment) for those long AAPL, but it's not going to save this market. I think the feeding frenzy going on with stocks right now is wonderful.

Thanks for all your feedback last night on getting other contributors to the blog; I haven't read the comments yet, but I will, and I will take what you all have said very seriously.