Category: Alternative Investment Strategy

It is hard to come by good news lately, but as Warren Buffet says, “Be greedy when others are fearful and fearful when others are greedy.” Reports tell us that he has been following his mantra to the letter recently as he is finally spending his $146.7 billion cash held at the end of 2021. […]

We often get new traders to our site that fit a particular profile. However, it is rare that we have a number come on at the same time with as much industry experience as the following three.  Perhaps not surprisingly, they all started strongly out of the gate.  Absolute Return Capital Management – ARCM Ionic […]

It is time to consider the possibility that a recession is coming.  While few seem to be talking about it, signs increasingly seem to be pointing in that direction.  The confusion is justified as GDP growth accelerates, employment is at record lows, and the stock market remains mostly stable.  Perhaps I am a pessimist, so […]

While the world focuses on oil prices, a little paid attention to commodity was a big story last week that mostly went unnoticed. The price of Nickel skyrocketed 250%, which caused the LME exchange to suspend trading and put a big Chinese bank in a huge hole.  Not surprisingly, Russia produces a significant quantity of […]

The war in Ukraine is pushing commodity prices well beyond their recent inflation-induced highs, and it appears things may get worse. Bank of America says that commodity prices have seen their strongest start since 1915. Here are some highlights for the week (to confirm these are changes for the week, not the year).  Oil prices […]

“Energy independence is our greatest geopolitical and economic tool and we cannot lose sight of that as instability rises around the globe.” – Joe Manchin on February 17, 2022 It seems that despite this warning and others, this message seems to be getting lost, and we may see real consequences shortly as Russia sits on […]

“Winter is Coming” goes the famous line from Game of Thrones. In that context, it portended trouble ahead. Perhaps, it could also refer to the stock market to begin the year with the lowest January returns since 2008. A saying says that “As January goes, so goes the year.”  The truth is that few are […]

Investors held their collective breath as they waited on Jerome Powell to announce the newest Fed action the week before Christmas.  Central bankers were unanimous in their decision to move to a less accommodative stance, and the market reaction was swift and fierce.  The date, December 19th, 2018, when the Fed lifted the Fed funds […]

In recent years, sustainability has moved from the financial sector’s periphery to the mainstream, and the industry has increasingly embraced a transition to a more sustainable and inclusive economic model. This, in turn, has made ESG investing is a hot topic right now.  Environmental, social, and governance programs look at not only financial factors for […]

If it seems like September is looking like a rough period for the market you might be surprised but you shouldn’t be.  In fact, over the past 50 years, it is the worst performing month of the calendar year.  The chart below shows where the saying, “Sell in May and Go Away”, comes from referring […]

In our last article, “Why Traditional Hedges Fail,” we opined that most traditional hedges had significant weaknesses and did not have many characteristics of a great hedge. Volatility (long positions in VIX futures), while not perfect, has a number of these favorable characteristics for hedging an equity portfolio. The characteristics of an excellent equity hedge […]