Capitalogix

Understanding the VIX

Regardless what you're trading, the VIX can be a helpful index to monitor. 

The VIX is an index that's commonly known as the "fear gauge." It tracks how quickly asset prices move (or, in other words, their "volatility"). 

While you can't invest in it directly, you can invest in derivative products like VIX futures, ETFs, inverse ETFs and more. 

The infographic below is a good primer, and you can download RCM's full whitepaper here.

 

 

VIX trading volume is increasing nicely.   Meanwhile, it is also a valuable data source.

I'd love to hear how you use it.

Mr. Kim Jong Un, Give Up Those Nukes!

Donald Trump and Kim Jong Un met last week in Singapore. At the meeting, Donald shared a four-minute movie trailer called "A Story of Opportunity for North Korea"

I was a little surprised by the video clip that Trump brought with him.  I don't normally think about diplomacy and videos.  But, it is a new world.

It depicts a brighter future for North Korea in the event of a nuclear deal.  It also presents a stark choice to Kim ... trade in your nuclear weapons for a peace deal with the U.S., or don't and you'll be decimated. 

Was it me, or does the video seem strangely reminiscent of a pitch you might receive for a real estate deal or a timeshare? 

It's worth a watch. 

 

Was the intended audience Kim Jong Un, American voters, or the World?

Did it remind you of  Ronald Reagan and Mikhail Gorbachev?

It will be interesting to see the results of the movie ... and this meeting. 

What did you think?

Hiring the Right People: Revenge of the Nerds

Capitalogix was on the news this week.  They did a story about finding tech talent.

I'm proud of our team.

The robots aren't coming for our jobs.  We're creating the robots, the AI, and the automation. 

The secret to great AI is that it still has a heartbeat. 

Here's the article. You can watch the video below. 

via NBC DFW

We are always hiring.

It's not enough to invest in the right ideas or technologies. You have to invest in the right people as well. 

"Standing still is moving backward ... so you don't only need new technology, you need a new level of data scientists –  a new level of professional that can think about what's possible, rather than how to do what we want to do right now."

Even though we've got an incredible edge now. I recognize that edges decay faster than ever. The trick is to stay ahead.  

I can predict that the future is bright ... And I know that the best way to predict the future is to create it.

Onwards!

If Algorithms Came with IKEA Instructions ...

Some Professors put together IKEA inspired instructional booklets for their algorithms and data-structures lecture. 

So far they've created assembly instructions for Quick Sort, BOGO Sort, Public Key Crypto, Binary Search, Merge Sort, Balance Tree, Graph Scan, and One Stroke Draw algorithms. 

via ideainstruction

This is a pretty cool idea, or at least I thought so. My youngest son said "I don't particularly understand IKEA directions or algorithms so this is basically the worst of both worlds for me."  Finally, we agree about something.

Hopefully, you find it helpful. If not, there's always Wikipedia. 

The Future According to Elon Musk

Abraham Lincoln said, "The Best Way To Predict The Future Is To Create It."

It is tough when your vision's bounded by awesome potential ... and potential horrors.

That is the challenge when you are going after MoonShots (or a Mission to Mars).

Perhaps that is why Elon Musk (who is an amazing entrepreneur) sometimes sounds more like a dystopian futurologist (like Ray Bradbury or George Orwell).

Here is a look at some of Musk's predictions. Click the image to see the full infographic. 

 

via RS Components

What do you think? Will his predictions for the future become a reality in our lifetime (or our kids' lifetime?)

As technology growth and innovation quicken, humanity faces serious challenges to our health and quality of life.

For a look at some of those issues, take a look at the Hastings Center. 

Here Are Some Links For Your Weekly Reading - May 20th, 2018

 

Here are some of the posts that caught my eye recently. Hope you find something interesting.

Lighter Links:

• The Myth of Mad' Genius. (Aeon)
• This is Why You Can't Stop Interrupting People. (Fatherly)
• What Makes a Man Attractive? Hint: Look at His Limbs. (ScienceMag)
• Should I Kill Spiders in My Home? an Entomologist Explains Why Not To. (The Conversation)
• As D.I.Y. Gene Editing Gains Popularity, Someone is Going to Get Hurt'. (New York Times)

 

Trading Links

• What is Bitcoin ? (DataScienceCentral)
• Uber CEO: Our Future Won't Just Be Cars.(TheVerge)
• Women are Becoming Billionaires at a Faster Rate Than Men. (Time)
• Russia Sets out to Sanction Western Sanctions.(Bloomberg)
• Satellite Images Reveal Which Countries Cheat on Their Economic Statistics. (Quartz)

 

 

Inspiration Comes in Many Forms

Once a year, I go to the World BBQ Championship at Memphis in May. 

It's three days of friends, food, fun, and bad puns (like #AporkalypseNow and  #MeatDrinkAndBeMerry).

You've heard the phrase  "Put your money where your mouth is ..."  This year we sponsored a tent and brought some of the Capitalogix team to enjoy the festivities. 

 

 

Here's a look at what was cooking in our tent.  It had a Brazilian "churrasco" flair. 

 

Our Grill Master was Blake Carson, who took a traditional Brazilian Steakhouse cooking style – and innovated upon it – creating the Carson Rodizio kit (which started as a Kickstarter project).  

It is a multi-rotisserie rack that converts your favorite backyard grill into an open and spinning Brazilian style Steakhouse.  It's clever, functional, and cool ... and it's been used to win multiple barbecue championships.

I love to experience an entrepreneur's mind at work.  

It's not always about what you add.  Sometimes, it is about what you take away.  Less is often more. 

Here is a one-minute interview I shot with Blake last year.

 

 

For more on Carson Rodizio, here is their Facebook page.

Innovation, like opportunity, is all around you.

But it's not there for you if you don't see the opportunity, and seize it.

Are You As Good As You Once Were?

Toby Keith has a song that claims: “I ain't as good as I once was ... But I'm as good once, as I ever was.”

 

 

Probably not ... but it was fun to get back in the Shot Put circle at Duke University.

I was there for Graduation Weekend.

Apple CEO Tim Cook today delivered the 2018 commencement address. Here is a video.

 

Cook challenged students to "think different" rather than accept the status quo, and to leave the world better than they found it, by following in the footsteps of leaders like Steve Jobs, Robert F. Kennedy, and Martin Luther King Jr.

An excerpt from his speech:

 

The pace at which progress is possible has accelerated dramatically. Aided by technology, every individual has the tools, potential, and reach to build a better world. That makes this the best time in history to be alive. Whatever you choose to do with your life, wherever your passion takes you, I urge you to take the power you have been given and use it for good. Aspire to leave this world better than you found it.

I didn't always see life as clearly as I do today. But I've learned that the greatest challenge of life is knowing when to break with conventional wisdom. Don't just accept the world you inherit today. Don't just accept the status quo. No big challenge has ever been solved, and no lasting improvement has ever been achieved, unless people dare to try something different. Dare to think different.

I was lucky to learn from someone who believed this deeply—someone who knew that changing the world starts with following a vision, not a path. He was my friend and mentor, Steve Jobs.

Steve's vision was that great ideas come from a restless refusal to accept things as they are, and those principles still guide us at Apple today. We reject the notion that global warming is inevitable—that's why we run Apple on 100 percent renewable energy. We reject the excuse that getting the most out of technology means trading away your right to privacy. So we choose a different path: collecting as little of your data as possible, and being thoughtful and respectful when it's in our care.

 

Cook graduated from Auburn University and got his MBA at Duke's Fuqua School of Business in 1988.  He is a member of Duke's Board of Trustees.

On Mother's Day – Remember That She Was Very Young When She Did Those Things To You

To those of you with young children, here is a peek into your future. 

After years of hard work and your best efforts (OK, mostly your best efforts) ... I predict that your adorable bundles of joy will someday wish they could send you this card.

So, take a moment to think about your Mom ... and remember that she was very young when she did those things to you ... (and what you make them mean is up to you).

Last week, I wrote about making the most of the time you have left. 

This Mother's Day, I hope you make the most of the time you have with your mother. Remind her that you care ... and that you forgive her for all the trauma she caused.

Trading Eyeballs... What Comes After "As Seen On TV!" with Shark Tank's Kevin Harrington

It's a lot easier to manage something you measure. 

Here at Capitalogix, we measure the expectancy score of trading systems.

Former "Shark" Kevin Harrington does something similar with eyeballs. 

For years he killed it on TV with products like Ginsu Knives, the George Foreman Grill, etc. 

But TV viewership has dropped over 50% ... and that's not a sustainable model anymore.

Luckily, like a true "Shark" he realized something that many people don't...

You have to be committed to your goals, not the tools you use to accomplish that goal. 

I shot a video with Kevin where we talk about that ... and more. Check it out

 

If you have been doing the same thing for 18 months (or longer), chances are the practical realities of time, technology, and a changing competitive landscape implies that you should be doing something different (or at least differently).

What are you doing to stay relevant in your space?