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.

Bull-Bear Microcosm (by LZ)

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The past year has left many bears doubting themselves. The bear impulse arguably peaked in June 2022, more than a year ago. It makes sense from a macroeconomic perspective because that’s also when inflation’s velocity peaked.

The preponderance of evidence still favors the bears though. The rally in mega cap tech stocks brought them back in line with the rest of the market. Away from tech, income-oriented dividend stocks and ETFs are turning negative in 2023, yet many have still outperformed $QQQ since the top in late 2021. The DJIA has gained less than 5% this year. All of this is consistent with rising bond yields. I could go into all the negative economic data coming out of China, Germany and so on, but I don’t need it. Higher rates alone will trigger a major bear market.

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PREMIUM: A Revealing Insight

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Note: This post is special enough to be labeled a premium post, which means that it is (with the exception of the paragraph you are reading now) visible only to paying subscribers (AKA the people who keep Slope going day after day). If you would like to try a risk-free subscription to get immediate access to all premium content, as well as the dozens of other features exclusive for paid accounts, click here to explore the choices. Everyone is welcome to continue chatting in comments below (or, for a more free-flowing experience, please use SlopeTalk).

Click here for a special 99 cents offer to try Gold out super-cheap! In your heart, you know he’s right.

Let’s Pretend

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You’ve probably heard the well-known joke from back in the U.S.S.R. days: “We pretend to work, and they pretend to pay us.” Communist dictatorships depend on lies, and China is no different. They like to wrap themselves in the cloak of Marx and Mao while simultaneously appearing to be successful businessmen. The data, fudged as it is, was looking pretty dreadful. Their solution? STOP reporting it immediately! It saves you the bother of lying if you simply stay mute.

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