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.

Softening The Blow For VXX Longs

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Well, Tim was right. Boehner blinked, the government’s back open, and the S&P 500 hit a record high Thursday, rallying on news of the latest increase in the US government’s credit card limit.

When there was still some uncertainty about how the standoff in DC would resolve itself, volatility began to rise a bit. From Tuesday, October 1st, to Wednesday, October, 9th, the iPath S&P 500 Short Term VIX Futures ETN (VXX) climbed more than 15%. At that point, I posted a hedge for VXX longs looking to add some downside protection (“Getting Paid To Limit Your Downside On VXX“). In this post, I’ll show how that hedge reacted to VXX’s post-deal drop. (more…)

The Tesla Top

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Perhaps to demonstrate that 5 straight years of a rising market with hardly a break has finally made me lose my mind, I just did something I’ve never done before. No, I did not don a chicken suit and climb to my roof to scream at neighbors. I’ve done that plenty of times. What I’m referring to is the fact I just shorted a boutique car company that perhaps you’ve heard me mention: (more…)