Here’s an eye-popping chart: the volume of futures this century. As you can see, with the exception of a post-financial crisis lull spanning 2009-2015, it’s been amazing.
Financialization
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.
The Empty Branch
It isn’t very often I have to actually go inside a bank branch, but when I do, it’s always — – and I mean always – – the same sight: an enormous office with many, many cubicles, all of which are empty. There is enough space for twenty employees, each with their own cubicle, and every blessed one is totally empty. God help you if you actually need service from someone. I frankly don’t know why they even bother renting such a large space, since these days it seems there are maybe two counter clerks and that’s about it.
Beginning with Banks
Q2 2025 earnings season kicks off in earnest Tuesday morning with, naturally, the banks.
So Worldly, So Welcome
The Biggest, Baddest Banks
If everything wrong on the planet could be boiled down to just one sector:
