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ASYMMETRY® Observations are Mike Shell’s observations of all things asymmetry, asymmetric risk/reward, asymmetric payoffs, and asymmetric investment returns.

Why Bitcoin Itself Lacks Asymmetric Risk/Reward Thumbnail

Why Bitcoin Itself Lacks Asymmetric Risk/Reward

Does the cryptocurrency Bitcoin offer an asymmetric risk/reward payoff? Cryptocurrencies are often described as offering asymmetric upside and asymmetric risk/reward payoff, but that claim confuses volatility with structure. True asymmetry isn’t about how far an asset can go up. It’s about whether the downside is explicitly defined and limited before outcomes are known. Spot crypto exposure is essentially linear, fully exposed to drawdowns, and lacks built-in convexity. Without predefined loss limits, position sizing, or payoff engineering, there is no asymmetric risk/reward, only a narrative riding a volatility regime.

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When “Tax-Free” Isn’t Free — and When It Is Thumbnail

When “Tax-Free” Isn’t Free — and When It Is

When do tax-exempt money market funds actually deliver an edge? This Asymmetry Observation breaks down the after-tax math behind taxable vs. tax-exempt cash yields, explains why “tax-free” often isn’t free, and shows how marginal tax rates and state taxes determine when the geometry finally flips.

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Investors Own Capital. We Actively Manage Exposure Thumbnail

Investors Own Capital. We Actively Manage Exposure

Asymmetric investing vs. trading is misunderstood. Our clients are investors, but as we manage their portfolios, we are tactical position traders We don’t day trade, and we don’t buy and hold blindly. In pursuit of asymmetric returns, we make deliberate buy and sell decisions to manage risk, adapt to changing conditions, and preserve capital through full market cycles.

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Why Structural Change Doesn’t Guarantee Asymmetric Alpha Thumbnail

Why Structural Change Doesn’t Guarantee Asymmetric Alpha

Structural change can be obvious in the data and still fail to deliver asymmetric returns. Retail sales clearly migrated online, yet the equity trades tied to that shift stopped compounding once the market fully priced it. This observation explains why being right on fundamentals isn’t enough — true asymmetry exists only before consensus forms.

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The Geometry of Asymmetry Thumbnail

The Geometry of Asymmetry

The Geometry of Asymmetry explains why superior outcomes don’t come from prediction, conviction, or complexity—but from structure. Markets aren’t linear. Gains and losses compound differently, risk is asymmetric, and a single large drawdown can overwhelm years of progress. By defining downside first and leaving upside open, investors create a geometric advantage that survives uncertainty, regime shifts, and inevitable mistakes. Asymmetry isn’t an opinion—it’s math applied to real-world markets.

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