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.
If your childhood was anything like mine, you probably played the board game Monopoly on at least a few occasions. It was a favorite of mine, and even though the game was created almost a century ago, it’s still enjoyable to this day. But for this mental exercise, take yourself back to a time when you were playing it with friends.
I’m not sure if I’ve ever talked about this before, but I thought some of you might be interested in knowing how I go about dealing with my portfolio.
It’s really all about the watch lists. Specifically, three watch lists of mine called Core, Bear Pen, and TK Short. Here is sort of the “flow”, which I’ll describe next.
Have you ever tried to climb on top of a big log that’s floating in a lake? I bet some of you have. I have. It’s difficult.
Because as you are reaching on top of the log, trying to hoist yourself up, it is the log’s natural tendency to spin on its axis. It’s really tough, really frustrating, and there’s no guarantee you’ll be able to finally get on top of that log and stay balanced there.
Trading this so-called market has felt precisely like that for two months now. Today, it finally felt like I got on top of that log, for the first time in way too long. It was refreshing.
One good down day doesn’t mean the financial dictatorship known as the Fed has relinquished their politburo power. Just take a look at this chart: we’ve been stuck in a range for a month now. We must break that horizontal to get some more serious action going.
Last weekend, my family decided to collectively treat itself to Getting Out Of the House. We headed over the coastal mountain range to trek to Half Moon Bay. Specifically, a restaurant we had frequented many times called Sam’s Chowder House. Here is what it looks like from the back porch:
Those of you who have read my work probably have a decent sense as to my personal history and my own disposition. I’m not that old, and my maturity is anchored at around age 17 or so. However, my values are really old fashioned: I was an Eagle Scout. Worked hard from age 13 forward. Industrious and ambitious. Married my childhood crush. Had kids. Served the family above all else. The whole schmear.
I was also a patriot, almost to the point of jingoism. I loved images of Washington, D.C. I read the entire Declaration of Independence to myself every 4th of July. As a little boy, I would put on the actual army hat of Captain Knight, my father, who was in the Korean War. I loved America about as much as I believed possible. My adoration of Ronald Reagan won me no friends during my college years.
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