Another week, another yield curve steepener and continuation of the trend that began in August, 2019.
Gold Builds a Handle
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.
Endless Electricity
One sector on an absolutely relentless tear has been anything associated with electrical power storage. The valuations are reaching absolute nosebleed levels, but the 1,000% gains don’t seem to be slowing things down. I wouldn’t touch any of these with a ten-foot power pole, but they make for fascinating charts:
Lockdown Success
For years, it’s been very difficult to park in Palo Alto’s “second” downtown, which is the area surrounding California Avenue. The restaurants and other retail simply attracted too many people, so it took a while to find a spot.
Well, Palo Alto set out to build a very modern four story parking garage, and at long last, it’s finished. I parked there yesterday to pick up some take-out. I was the only one in the entire complex. The only one. And why? Simple.
Everything’s closed still. I know it may be different in your area, but it’s basically March 2020 all over again here, right down to the line of people waiting to get groceries, stretched around the block.
(more…)So Long, Alex
Morning, everyone. I got an insanely late start this morning, so I’m going to leave this touching tribute as a comment cleaner and come back later to actually create something new.
Harmony at Gunpoint
Over just two days, I read the newly-published book We Have Been Harmonized cover to cover. For anyone interested in China, global economics, or high-tech surveillance, I heartily recommend it. The book is superbly written, well-researched, and comes from an author who is an expert in the field. In this post, I would like to explore some of the topics covered in the book.
For starters, I offer a philosophical question: Is there such a thing as a universal, indomitable human spirit? In other words, are all human beings imbued with the desire to live their lives freely and express themselves without fear of reprisal? Or is this notion simply coming from the head of someone like myself who has been blessed with life inside a western liberal democracy his entire life?
(more…)