ASYMMETRY® Observations
ASYMMETRY® Observations are Mike Shell’s observations of all things asymmetry, asymmetric risk/reward, asymmetric payoffs, and asymmetric investment returns.
Original thinking on markets, risk, and asymmetric investing — delivered the moment it publishes.
Read the latest.
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The trend is your friend until it bends.
The trend is your friend until the end when it bends. The Equal Weight S&P 500 is at an all-time high with broad participation, with more than 75% of stocks…
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What is the U.S. Dollar Backed By and What Gives it it’s Worth?
The U.S. dollar (USD) is not backed by a physical commodity like gold or silver anymore. Instead, its value is derived from several factors: Trust in the U.S. Government: The…
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What does it mean to say you’re a Vanna-Charmer?
In financial markets, particularly in options trading, the term “Vanna-Charmer” refers to someone who is skilled in managing and profiting from the “vanna” effect in options trading. Vanna in Options…
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Five Sports Teams You Can Buy Stock In
What sports teams can I invest in? We’re not advising anyone to invest in any of these stocks, but here is a list of some notable publicly traded sports teams…
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In regard to the unemployment rate, which is more important, the level or rate of change?
The US Unemployment Rate has trended up from the low reached in early 2023 of 3.4% to 4.3% today. With YCharts, we show the trend in the rate of unemployment,…
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Price Controls are Associated with Socialism and Communism and Trigger More Problems
Price controls are associated with socialism and communism and trigger more problems. 1. Market Distortion: Price controls can lead to shortages if prices are set too low, as suppliers might…
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A Look at the Trend of the Stock Market
If the S&P 500 trend is any guide, we’ll soon see if the oversold condition was enough to shake out those who wanted to sell and bring prices to a…
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Can Market Makers See My Stop Loss Orders I Set for a Stock or ETF?
Market makers generally cannot directly see your stop loss orders, especially if they are set as stop orders or stop-limit orders that are not yet triggered. These orders remain hidden…
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A Volatility Expansion for the Record Book
Today the Cboe Implied Volatility Index (VIX) shot up 180% at the open, one of the sharpest vol expansions we’ve seen. The VIX reached 65, the highest level since the…
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The Technology Sector Gets More Oversold
Last week, I shared an observation about the technology sector index; “The technology sector is oversold and should trend up to retrace some of the recent downtrend“. The following day…
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Stock Market Sentiment Has Reached an Extreme
Fear is now driving the market. The Fear & Greed Index, a measure of seven different investor sentiment indicators, has reached Extreme Fear. The current reading is the highest level…
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Shell Capital Management, LLC, is Celebrating its Twentieth Anniversary as a Registered Investment Adviser!
Time flies when you’re having fun! Twenty years ago today, on August 4, 2004, I founded Shell Capital Management, LLC, a registered investment adviser, to focus exclusively on trading systems…