In the unlikely event you don’t believe this market is godawful stuck look no further than the volatility and IV rank information for the SPY. This whole “debt ceiling” thing is going to come and go like it never happened.
Data Doldrums
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 Quagmire
I had hoped that the prior week would bring some kind of resolution to the massive “face-off” I’ve been mentioning endlessly but, sadly, it didn’t. (Although I guess at least it didn’t resolve in a bullish direction). Below are six major cash index charts, all of which in one way or another seem to be at a crossroads reeking of indecision. Either the bulls or the bears are going to be very, very happy with the release of this tension within the next few weeks. I just can’t for the life of me figure out who.
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Say the Magic Word!
Back in 1997, all a company had to utter during a conference call, or write in a press release, was “Internet Portal” to make their stock go up for no good reason. These days, we live in a more efficient world in which merely two letters are required for the same effect.
Sure They Are
The biggest three lies in the world:
- “The check is in the mail”;
- “Let’s have lunch sometime”;
- “Everyone is bearish”
I’ve heard that last one CONSTANTLY lately. Let’s say aside this baseless assertion with an actual fact:
Disasters are Bad for Bears
When markets are cheap, such as in 1982 or early 2009, the task of bulls is straightforward: find good, solid, growing companies, but your money in, and leave it alone. Simple. Straightforward. Very, very profitable.
When markets are an overinflated joke like, oh, say, right this second, this isn’t how it goes. The task of bulls is to beg for handouts, plead for fake 5-star analyst reports, and, when necessary, blame anyone but themselves for the troubles of their company. This tweet showed up yesterday, and I could hardly believe my eyes:
