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.

My Eastern Bloc Tour

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As most of you know, I was away for nearly two weeks on “vacation”. Typically, when I go photo 1somewhere new – – – even something minor, like walking into a new store – – I can typically write up some impressions I had about the place. One would think that a tour of Prague, Poland, and Berlin would evoke all kinds of prose. Strangely, virtually nothing came to mind, and I wasn’t even sure I could muster up a “post-travel” post.

A few folks asked me if I would write one, however, and I do have a few things to say, including one conclusion that surprised me. For those who don’t know me so well, an important preface is that I’m not that keen on traveling. I’m a notorious homebody, and the nuisance of planes, passports, and expensive hotels really isn’t my cup of tea. I’d rather just stay home with my dogs. But occasionally I am wrested lose from the snug of Palo Alto. (more…)

2014: A Year of Indecision and Volatility

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Each candle on the SPX:VIX ratio chart below represents one year. I last wrote about this ratio pair on July 31st.

You can see at a glance that price action has been extremely volatile, so far, this year and has nearly re-tested the lows of last year’s candle. The Momentum indicator remains elevated at an all-time extreme on this timeframe.

At the very least, bulls will have to push the price above the 150.00 level and hold it there to coax investors into putting their money in equities in the near-term…otherwise, we’ll continue to see volatile intraday swings, or even a much bigger correction in equities if price falls and holds below the 110.00 level. (more…)