Posts for SurlyTrader


Loss of Cabin Pressure

From SurlyTrader
May 16, 2012 at 9:08 pm
In the first quarter of 2012, the S&P 500 experienced an annualized volatility of 9.2%.  An expectation that ~67% of the days will have moves in the range ... (more)

Noteworthy News – May 14, 2012

From SurlyTrader
May 13, 2012 at 10:26 pm
Economy: A Generation Hobbled by the Soaring Cost of College – New York Times Easy Useless Economics – New York Times (Krugman) European economy ... (more)

JP Morgan’s ‘Egregious’ Error

From SurlyTrader
May 10, 2012 at 8:24 pm
When you are the most respected bank remaining in the United States, you tend to shy away from words like “egregious” when talking about your business. ... (more)

What is a Million Dollars Between Canadians?

From SurlyTrader
May 9, 2012 at 9:15 pm
We can look around the globe at housing prices and find some head scratching statistics, but it is interesting to just take a look at the neighbors to the north ... (more)

Will 1350 Hold?

From SurlyTrader
May 8, 2012 at 9:21 pm
The S&P 500 tested the 1350 level twice today and then never looked back going into the close.  We have experienced many days where the market starts out ... (more)

The Dollar & Gold Have Eyes on Europe

From SurlyTrader
May 7, 2012 at 10:27 pm
Guest Post by JW Jones at OptionsTradingSignals.com Friday saw heavy selling pressure coming into risk assets, specifically equities and oil. However, the real ... (more)

Noteworthy News – May 7, 2012

From SurlyTrader
May 6, 2012 at 10:52 pm
Economy: The Scariest Jobs Chart — By Far (And You Haven’t Seen It Before) – Investors.com The 10 States and 10 Jobs With the Most Low-Wage Workers ... (more)

Piece of My Mind – Grant

From SurlyTrader
May 2, 2012 at 8:18 pm
James Grant makes money selling a financial newsletter that primarily focuses on interest rates.  Grant’s “Interest Rate Observer” has become ... (more)

Dividends Out of Favor in 2012

From SurlyTrader
May 1, 2012 at 6:53 pm
In the last few years, dividends have garnered significant admiration.  In fact, many investors have begun to wonder whether they can count on price returns ... (more)

Noteworthy News – April 30, 2012

From SurlyTrader
April 29, 2012 at 11:33 pm
Economy: My Faith-Based Retirement – New York Times Markets: Why Has CEO Pay Increased So Much? – Chicago Booth Politics: The Austerity Myth – ... (more)

Will House Prices Drop Further?

From SurlyTrader
April 26, 2012 at 10:57 pm
The decline in housing prices seems never ending.  Prices have dropped for over 5 years and some still expect the bottom to fall out from here.  One simple ... (more)

The Value of a Brand

From SurlyTrader
April 25, 2012 at 9:15 pm
It is interesting that most consumer prefer specific brands.  What is even more interesting is just how few companies make all of those brands.  Marketing ... (more)

Noteworthy News – April 23, 2012

From SurlyTrader
April 22, 2012 at 8:38 pm
Economy: 1 in 2 new graduates are jobless or underemployed – Yahoo! Finance Beware: A Chinese Recession Is Coming – Forbes Occupations of the 1% ... (more)

Fear Barometer Bubbling

From SurlyTrader
April 18, 2012 at 6:34 pm
It was interesting to watch the Credit Suisse Fear Barometer rise from the low 20′s  in December to an all time high of almost 32 in late February. ... (more)

Noteworthy News – April 16, 2012

From SurlyTrader
April 16, 2012 at 12:41 am
Economy: Where do people go when they drop out of the labor force? – Washington Post The Real Cost of Living: $150,000 Minimum – The Fiscal Times Only ... (more)

Noteworthy News – April 9, 2012

From SurlyTrader
April 8, 2012 at 11:28 pm
Economy: 50 Amazing Numbers About Today’s Economy – Motley Fool MIT Predicts That World Economy Will Collapse By 2030 - Popular Science The Puzzle ... (more)

Gamma Hemorrhage

From SurlyTrader
April 5, 2012 at 10:32 pm
The third quarter of 2008 made veterans out of option traders that did not want to become veterans.  After the fall of Lehman Brothers, option trading experienced ... (more)

Delta Hedging Explained

From SurlyTrader
April 3, 2012 at 10:30 pm
There are very few retail investors that actually delta-hedge option positions.  For today’s task, we will take a very simple example to illustrate just ... (more)

Noteworthy News – April 2, 2012

From SurlyTrader
April 1, 2012 at 10:06 pm
Economy: The War Against Youth – Esquire Europe’s labour markets have favoured older workers at the expense of younger ones. The latest in an occasional ... (more)

Volatility Arbitrage

From SurlyTrader
March 28, 2012 at 10:17 pm
There is a broad  misconception that options have a “cost”.  This perception is derived from the fact that put buyers are “buying downside ... (more)

Fading Gamma

From SurlyTrader
March 27, 2012 at 9:35 pm
As an option trader, you will find that options provide much more flexibility than merely making bets on price levels.  Options change in price due to changes ... (more)

The Fed, Gold, the S&P 500, & the Retail Mindset

From SurlyTrader
March 26, 2012 at 8:11 pm
Guest Post by JW Jones of OptionsTradingSignals.com   And if you look away, you’ll be doing what they say. And if you look alive, you’ll be singled ... (more)

Noteworthy News – March 26, 2012

From SurlyTrader
March 25, 2012 at 10:46 pm
Economy: Where to Buy and Where to Rent Now – Atlantic Why Don’t Young Americans Buy Cars? – Atlantic Ireland back in recession as global ... (more)

Trading Gamma

From SurlyTrader
March 21, 2012 at 10:17 pm
Trading gamma has traditionally been left to the “experts” on Wall Street.  With the proliferation of options trading knowledge and tools in the ... (more)

Noteworthy News – March 20, 2012

From SurlyTrader
March 19, 2012 at 2:00 am
Economy: Are jobs obsolete? – CNN Unmired at last: America’s recovery is neither robust nor dramatic. But it is real - Economist Markets: Oil prices ... (more)