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.

Slippery Slopes

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We wish Tim house-hunting success in North Carolina. Here’s hoping he finds what he’s looking for. NC is a beautiful state and I bet his family will enjoy time spent there. Where I live now is the forever home, but NC [and TN] used to be on my move-to list. Here are a few slippery slope charts for your perusal. See what you think; hopefully, you’ll find some trade ideas.

Note that on all charts, the dotted green and red horizontals are the top and bottom of the Ichimoku Cloud; the Cloud changes with the wind.

In no particular order, let’s look first at TUP. I think Tim has been watching and shorting this for a long time. TUP topped in 2013. Earnings are May 4. (Note from Tim: yep! I’ve got puts!)

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Upsy-Daisy

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If there is one thing we know about the markets, it is that we do not know what comes next.

With the markets, anything can happen. Anything can happen, at any time.

What the markets do tomorrow [and the next day, and the day after that…] may be what is expected, or maybe not.

Therefore, the second thing we [should] know about trading the markets is to play it safe. Be prepared. Be prepared for the unexpected. That may mean a hard stop is in place on one’s trade, or that one is watching like a hawk to get out immediately if the trade goes bum. Have it your way. Just be certain that your way keeps losses Small.

Upsy-daisy is an older phrase that some of you youngsters may never have heard. As interjection, it is an expression, usually of reassurance, said when someone stumbles or is being lifted up.

Whoops-a-daisy is what many issues in the market have done of late, as in, taken a hit to the downside.

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Charting – Have It Your Way

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Of the many lines one can place on a chart, the objective is to help determine price movement – what is most likely to happen next – in an effort to execute a profitable trade.

Trend lines can be placed on a chart to show an uptrend or downtrend.
Horizontal lines can be placed based on high and low prices, on fibonacci retracement levels, and to note price gaps. Chart patterns, such as triangles, wedges and pennants, can be drawn by the chartist. All of these lines drawn are meant to offer support and resistance levels.

Whatever annotations we place on a chart they are an effort to assess the probabilities of a directional move in price. Assessing price action is based on maintaining or breaking support or resistance. Breaking support or resistance lines may well indicate a change of price direction [false breakouts notwithstanding].

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Platinum Primed with Pressure

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One of the first things we learned about the fire truck was how to prime the pump. If the pump wasn’t primed, there would be no pressure, and thus, no delivery of water from tank, thru hose, to fire.

The experience was many years ago, as a volunteer firefighter living in a tiny rural town.

The firehouse, if one could call it that, was located in the alley right behind my house, and was a shed of a plywood building that was maybe – maybe – twenty inches wider than the truck. These days, fire trucks are easy-handlers. Not then. This truck had no automatic or power anything and was hard.to.handle. Because I lived so close to the truck [and got to it quickly/first], I was the driver on many calls.

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