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.

Two-Sided Coin

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There is a topic I believe is going to be exceptionally important over the next decade, and that is Central Bank Digital Currencies. Let me be clear at the outset that I am not a professional economist, nor am I a CBDC expert. I do have a couple of extra IQ points to rub together, however, and for both my sake and yours, I wanted to try to educate myself about this crucial topic.

It wasn’t all fun and games; reading some of the academia about this subject doesn’t exactly crackle with warm-blooded humanity, as with this excerpt:

When households endogenously select into banked and unbanked, the introduction of a CBDC, which pays interest and is assumed to be immune to theft, can be Pareto improving and always increases welfare of at least unbanked households. The economic mechanism driving the welfare implications focuses on the interaction between the new monetary policy tool introduced by an interest-bearing CBDC and banks’ limited commitment.

FEDS Notes, November 9, 2020, “Central Bank Digital Currency: A Literature Review”
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Long, Long Wicks

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In the parlance of candlestick charting, a “wick” is the skinny line protruding either above or below the color rectangle (known as the “body”), and long wick typically denote volatility and uncertainty. The year 2020 was certainly chockablock with wicks, and below are eleven charts, constructed with annual bars, with some comments in each captioned area.

slopechart VIX
The only graph that consistently has long wicks is, understandably, volatility itself. This year was remarkable in the sheer length of the upper wick and the fact that its peak matched that of the global financial crisis in late 2008.
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Best of 2020: Part 8 of 8

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Preface to all eight parts: This year was an extraordinary one for the world and an amazing one for Slope. Our user base has grown, our site has dozens more features, and we are poised for a great 2021, which will be our sixteenth year in business. Out of the thousands of posts this year, we have picked some we believe you will enjoy re-reading the most. That’s it, folks! We’re done with the best-of-2020! YAYYYYYYYYYYYY.

Fetterman for the Win
The oh-so-awesome Lt. Gov. of Pennsylvania

From TBSP to WSB
Decades have passed, but nothing has changed

Bullies
A plea for decency and common sense

In Hot Water
I am confronted with a home problem that took some figuring out

Inspiration from Hypocrites
Alan Watts was a drunk. So what?

Candy Cane Horses
A Christmas memory from Louisiana’s past

It’s About Time
Raging Bull finally gets their ass nailed to the wall

Pendulous Crystal Balls
A hard look at the year ahead

The Best of Tyler
What posts have I done over the years that grabbed ZH the most?

The Effect of Asset Inflation on Man-in-the-Moon Marigolds
An examination of the economy and the coining of progressive inflation.

Best of 2020: Part 7 of 8

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Preface to all eight parts: This year was an extraordinary one for the world and an amazing one for Slope. Our user base has grown, our site has dozens more features, and we are poised for a great 2021, which will be our sixteenth year in business. Out of the thousands of posts this year, we have picked some we believe you will enjoy re-reading the most.

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2024
Looking ahead to the next election, believe it or not

Too Soon
The great ideas of the Internet bubble, finally come to life

Oh Hi Mark to Market
The utterly unreliable data from Zillow

Black Girls Code
If I worked at an actual publication they would never print this one

Defying the Rotation
Why I think small caps are in worse long-term trouble than anyone else

The Influence of Fed Balance Sheet Growth
A deep dive into why the Fed’s shenanigans push the markets around

Why Crypto Is Better
Bitcoin beats gold, hands down

Complacency to Fear and Back
An exploration of sentiment better than any we’ve seen before

The Carrington Event
The sun could snuff out modern civilization instantly

Flatten the Funhouse Mirrors
Why it is important to look at charts through the lens of money supply