Thoughts about the markets, automated trading algorithms, artificial intelligence, and lots of other stuff
Here is a quick video about Inspiration and Entrepreneurship.
It begins with the question, “Do you remember when you were a kid…And you thought you could do anything?” and then proceeds to tell the viewer that the hope possessed as children is renewable as an adult, and as an entrepreneur. It is well-done, fun, and only takes about two minutes. So, seize the day … and watch the video.
Direct link to video on YouTube.
Read more about the video in this WSJ article.
Here is a quick video about Inspiration and Entrepreneurship.
It begins with the question, “Do you remember when you were a kid…And you thought you could do anything?” and then proceeds to tell the viewer that the hope possessed as children is renewable as an adult, and as an entrepreneur. It is well-done, fun, and only takes about two minutes. So, seize the day … and watch the video.
Direct link to video on YouTube.
Read more about the video in this WSJ article.
Time flies when you are having fun. We're almost halfway through the year, and the markets have rallied now for three-plus months. That sounds positive … So why are so many people focused on the Federal Reserve's two-day meeting that ends Wednesday? My guess is that many investors will be watching for any changes in the long-term economic outlook.
So we are at a Tipping Point, once again. There is cash on the sidelines waiting for a sign that it's safe to get back in the game; and there are investors who are looking to protect their rally profits, or are afraid of the next leg down.
This daily chart of the Dow Jones Industrial Average Index highlights what bulls and bears see. We'll soon know which is more committed.
From my perspective, I understand why discretionary traders might want to try to buy this pull-back. There is a clear Risk-Reward; and it's easy to set your stop. However, experience warns me to be wary of set-ups like this where market breadth is weakening. My wife doesn't like charts that have too many marks on them … she says they are confusing. So I tried to find a different image that conveys what this chart may be whispering to the little bird.
Finally, I was reading Paul Kedrosky's blog when I ran across this chart showing the price of crude oil from 1861 through 2208. It comes from BP. It provides an interesting perspective.
Business Posts Moving the Markets that I Found Interesting This Week:
Lighter Ideas and Fun Links that I Found Interesting This Week
Time flies when you are having fun. We're almost halfway through the year, and the markets have rallied now for three-plus months. That sounds positive … So why are so many people focused on the Federal Reserve's two-day meeting that ends Wednesday? My guess is that many investors will be watching for any changes in the long-term economic outlook.
So we are at a Tipping Point, once again. There is cash on the sidelines waiting for a sign that it's safe to get back in the game; and there are investors who are looking to protect their rally profits, or are afraid of the next leg down.
This daily chart of the Dow Jones Industrial Average Index highlights what bulls and bears see. We'll soon know which is more committed.
From my perspective, I understand why discretionary traders might want to try to buy this pull-back. There is a clear Risk-Reward; and it's easy to set your stop. However, experience warns me to be wary of set-ups like this where market breadth is weakening. My wife doesn't like charts that have too many marks on them … she says they are confusing. So I tried to find a different image that conveys what this chart may be whispering to the little bird.
Finally, I was reading Paul Kedrosky's blog when I ran across this chart showing the price of crude oil from 1861 through 2208. It comes from BP. It provides an interesting perspective.
Business Posts Moving the Markets that I Found Interesting This Week:
Lighter Ideas and Fun Links that I Found Interesting This Week
I highly recommend seeing the new Disney – Pixar movie, UP, in 3-D. It was terrific … much better than I hoped or expected.
Frankly, when my son asked me to see it with him, I agreed reluctantly. As he later reminded me, Pixar movies usually are better than you'd guess.
The animation was as good as I expected. Yet, the 3-D effects were the best I've seen, because it seemed real and natural, rather than a gimmick.
On the surface, this adventure comedy is about an old-man trying to fulfill his lifelong dream to see the wilds of South America. Then soon after setting-out, he learns he isn't alone on his journey, since a
wilderness explorer — 70 years his junior — has somehow become a
stowaway on the trip.
The story and underlying message were good and uplifting. And not just because the old-man choice of transportation was to tie thousands of balloons to his home.
It is worth the few extra dollars to see this in 3-D.
I highly recommend seeing the new Disney – Pixar movie, UP, in 3-D. It was terrific … much better than I hoped or expected.
Frankly, when my son asked me to see it with him, I agreed reluctantly. As he later reminded me, Pixar movies usually are better than you'd guess.
The animation was as good as I expected. Yet, the 3-D effects were the best I've seen, because it seemed real and natural, rather than a gimmick.
On the surface, this adventure comedy is about an old-man trying to fulfill his lifelong dream to see the wilds of South America. Then soon after setting-out, he learns he isn't alone on his journey, since a
wilderness explorer — 70 years his junior — has somehow become a
stowaway on the trip.
The story and underlying message were good and uplifting. And not just because the old-man choice of transportation was to tie thousands of balloons to his home.
It is worth the few extra dollars to see this in 3-D.
It surprises me how many of
my thoughts cluster on a particular theme for a period of time. I guess it makes sense because I think and write about things
I notice that catch my interest. And as my focus changes from time to time,
what interests me changes. It is kind of like not being able to get a song out of your head … only it's about what you focus on.
I heard a good explanation for this at a Tony Robbins seminar this week.
He
has an exercise where you open your eyes and look around the room,
paying attention to anything that has a bright green color to it.
Try it, look around the room noticing everything you can remember that has green in or on it.
Then
close your eyes, and without looking around again, try to remember
anything that was red. You probably can remember a lot more green
things, than red things.
Tony calls this "reticular activation".
But it's just a fancy name for the same reason that if you buy a white
Lexus, all of a sudden you see white Lexus cars everywhere you go. The
things you focus-on show up more often in your life simply because you
notice them more often.
If you're curious, this week, the theme that I'm noticing in my personal, professional and business life is time, speed and pace. Here's a link to that post.
It surprises me how many of
my thoughts cluster on a particular theme for a period of time. I guess it makes sense because I think and write about things
I notice that catch my interest. And as my focus changes from time to time,
what interests me changes. It is kind of like not being able to get a song out of your head … only it's about what you focus on.
I heard a good explanation for this at a Tony Robbins seminar this week.
He
has an exercise where you open your eyes and look around the room,
paying attention to anything that has a bright green color to it.
Try it, look around the room noticing everything you can remember that has green in or on it.
Then
close your eyes, and without looking around again, try to remember
anything that was red. You probably can remember a lot more green
things, than red things.
Tony calls this "reticular activation".
But it's just a fancy name for the same reason that if you buy a white
Lexus, all of a sudden you see white Lexus cars everywhere you go. The
things you focus-on show up more often in your life simply because you
notice them more often.
If you're curious, this week, the theme that I'm noticing in my personal, professional and business life is time, speed and pace. Here's a link to that post.
The Swine Flu made headlines again. Apparently, no one cares that the the U.N.'s World Health Organization officially declared the outbreak to be a "pandemic" this week. If you don't know what to look for, this picture illustrates some symptoms.
If the Markets' continued rally is taken as evidence, then it also appears that people don't care about the threats weighing down the economy. The Major U.S. Index Averages are holding above their 200-Day declining moving averages and overhead resistance. Also, Bespoke notes that eighty-four percent of the stocks in the S&P 500 are trading above their 50-day moving averages. With that said, momentum is waning … three months into the rally.
Of course, the length and staying power of the rally says something about how crowds work, and why the majority of traders are often wrong at turning points in the market. The following video makes the same point, a different way. On the surface, it starts with a lone male, dancing at a music festival. It is fascinating to watch what happens when other people feel the urge to get in on the fun. It takes about one-minute for people to start joining in. By two-minutes, there's a crowd. And by three, it's a mob.
Here is the direct link to the video on YouTube. This says something about human nature, doesn't it?
Business Posts Moving the Markets that I Found Interesting This Week:
Lighter Ideas and Fun Links that I Found Interesting This Week
The Swine Flu made headlines again. Apparently, no one cares that the the U.N.'s World Health Organization officially declared the outbreak to be a "pandemic" this week. If you don't know what to look for, this picture illustrates some symptoms.
If the Markets' continued rally is taken as evidence, then it also appears that people don't care about the threats weighing down the economy. The Major U.S. Index Averages are holding above their 200-Day declining moving averages and overhead resistance. Also, Bespoke notes that eighty-four percent of the stocks in the S&P 500 are trading above their 50-day moving averages. With that said, momentum is waning … three months into the rally.
Of course, the length and staying power of the rally says something about how crowds work, and why the majority of traders are often wrong at turning points in the market. The following video makes the same point, a different way. On the surface, it starts with a lone male, dancing at a music festival. It is fascinating to watch what happens when other people feel the urge to get in on the fun. It takes about one-minute for people to start joining in. By two-minutes, there's a crowd. And by three, it's a mob.
Here is the direct link to the video on YouTube. This says something about human nature, doesn't it?
Business Posts Moving the Markets that I Found Interesting This Week:
Lighter Ideas and Fun Links that I Found Interesting This Week