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.

Boxing Day

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I hope everyone had a great holiday. I’ve had an enjoyable time at home with my three (adult) children. We’re not religious, but it is always a good time to see and enjoy family.

One slightly strange thing to the Brit eye about Christmas is that over here and in much of Europe the day after Christmas is a significant holiday too, always a Bank Holiday and called Boxing Day here. The odd thing is that Boxing Day doesn’t exist in the US and is an immediate return to trading the day after Christmas Day. That kind of works for me though, as I enjoy my work, and the days between Christmas and New Year are a good time to prepare for what is often a very interesting January. In my view the odds favor seeing an interesting January this time.

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Investors Call it Whipsaw Wednesday For A Reason (by AlgoTradeAlert)

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Stock Market Update Wednesday December 20, 2023 Investors Call it Whipsaw Wednesday For A Reason. This morning opened with bullish sentiment after consumer confidence exceeded expectations at 10am. This welcome news stemmed from the decline in both interest rates and gas prices, injecting optimism into both the “present situation” and “expectations” components of the index. The housing market also offered a ray of hope, with existing home sales experiencing a slight rebound from their 13-year lows, likely spurred by the decrease in mortgage rates. However, this positive economic data couldn’t sustain the momentum. Despite a two-week rally triggered by Jerome Powell’s initial mention of potential rate cuts, stock investors hit the sell button today and reversed course in the late afternoon, triggering a sustained selling spree across major indexes.

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