Top Posts of 2011
It seems hard to believe, but next week I will celebrate the fifth year anniversary of my first post (VIX and More: An Introduction) at VIX and More. Traditionally I have set aside some time at the end of the year to recognize the top 25 most read post...
Chart of the Week: VXV at Critical Juncture
It seems almost like heresy to consider something other than silver or the VIX as a candidate for the Stock of the Week, but since there have been so many posts and charts about both subjects, I thought I might offer a slightly different twist.Yes, it ...
Chart of the Week: VXV at Critical Juncture
It seems almost like heresy to consider something other than silver or the VIX as a candidate for the Stock of the Week, but since there have been so many posts and charts about both subjects, I thought I might offer a slightly different twist.Yes, it ...
Chart of the Week: Crude Oil and Transports
With crude oil prices hovering around $108/bbl. level, it is only natural to begin wondering just what kind of impact crude prices will have on stocks.Looking back at recent history, crude oil and stocks have been positively correlated, largely because...
Chart of the Week: Flight to Safety ETPs
It has already been an interesting year for students of market sentiment, volatility and geopolitical influences on financial markets. We have seen revolutions of various sizes and shapes in the likes of Tunisia, Egypt and Libya, with smaller uprisings...
Chart of the Week: EGPT and Collateral Damage
Unrest in Egypt is barely three weeks old and already the ripple effect has crossed the globe in several waves.I find it interesting how regional and country ETFs can be of some assistance in evaluating how investors are thinking in terms of contagion ...
Chart of the Week: World Food Prices
Talk of rising commodities prices seems to focus primarily on energy and metals, with agricultural commodities often overlooked, at least in the United States.This week’s chart of the week is intended to underscore the inflationary trend in agricultu...
Chart of the Week: U.S. Retail Gasoline Prices
As more and more data points begin to suggest that the green shoots of months past are finally showing signs of developing, concerns about supply and demand in the energy space are starting to heat up again.In the past week, the average retail price of...
Chart of the Week: Historical Volatility Plummets in Seasonal Swoon
‘Tis the season for the annual holiday effect in which historical volatility (HV) has a strong tendency to plunge and drag implied volatility down with it. This is a subject I have tackled on a number of occasions in the past (see links below) and is...
Chart of the Week: Banks on a Tear
There were many cross-currents in the financial markets during the last week, but one of the dominant themes was the spike in Treasury yields. As expectations for interest rates move higher, the banks are also catching a bid. Long able to borrow at Ber...
Chart of the Week: VIX Support
In this week’s chart of the week, I have created a chart of the VIX going back to June 2007 which uses weekly bars to show that just about the time stocks made their 2007 pre-crisis highs, the VIX was establishing the 17-18 area (yellow bar) as a zon...
Chart of the Week: The Resurgent Consumer and Holiday Shopping
During the first half of 2010, a recovery in manufacturing helped to lift stocks. When manufacturing plateaued, stocks gave up their gains. Now it looks like manufacturing may be picking up again, but it has been consumer spending that has been respons...
