Our Low Risk (Low Volatility) World
In case you haven't noticed -- and I haven't -- we apparently are in a world of exceptionally low risk. To see this you need look no further than the volatility of the major markets. The volatility of...
View ArticleMore on ETFs -- A Little Craziness in High Yield Bond ETFs
I wrote a post a month or so ago on the risks from ETFs, in particular how ETFs on less liquid markets -- with high yield bonds being my poster child -- could cause problems for the market generally....
View ArticlePension Actuaries: The Joke is On Us
...An Actuary is someone who wanted to be an accountant but didn't have the personality for it....An introverted actuary stares at his own feet, and extroverted one stares at the other person's...
View ArticleThe Tesla Roadster Will Turn the Bugatti into a Wrist Watch
In three years Tesla will be rolling out the fastest production car in the world. And not a "production car" as in, we made ten or so of these so it can be called one. No, a production car that rolls...
View ArticleAssisted Dying for the Rest of Us
The baby boomers have changed our society as their demographic wave has washed over one institution and norm after another. Split sessions for public schools, a new level of competition for elite...
View ArticleMcCarthyism
I enjoy studying American history of the post-World War II period, and just remember that earlier this week we passed the anniversary of a milestone for that period: On December 2, 1954, the United...
View ArticleStocks to Short for Your Grandkids
As I mentioned in an earlier post, working in a pension fund makes me think toward the long term. In that post I spoke about broader long-term risks; here I will give my view about long-term risks at...
View ArticleThe Cry of the Pod People: #HumanToo
Twitter was not available to the pod people in The Invasion of the Body Snatchers. They had to confront the humans directly, pointing and screeching to muster the mob to attack. But now that we have...
View ArticleBitcoin Can't Win Against Fiat Currency
I'm not going to write anything here about the huge drop in bitcoin over the last few days, so what I am writing cannot be ignored should bitcoin get back up to the 20,000 range. And I'm not going to...
View ArticleHow to Burn Four Billion Dollars: The Tailspin of the UFC
Whenever I write about the UFC, I should add a standard apology to those who are reading my blog with an eye toward the area of my expertise: finance, and in particular financial risk management. But I...
View ArticleAl Franken's #MeToo-ish Impending Resignation
We all have nothing but support for the push against sexual harassment. No one would suggest that things can go too far. Though, actually, some think things have with Al Franken, where even front-line...
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This is the Way Facebook Ends (Maybe Apple and Google, Too)
Investors tend to focus on the most likely outcome. As a risk manager, I spend time focusing on the unlikely, on the bad things that might possibly happen. Where T.S. Elliot writes, "This is the way...
View ArticleNot Wages. Not Inflation. Volatility. ETFs.
The recent tumble in the market is being attributed to the wage report, a rise in interest rates, and concern about inflation. A reassessment of economic conditions does not lead to such a violent...
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Amazon Dystopia
During work and commuting time all workers are mandated to wear a âhealth watchâ, a wristband that monitors their movement. The wristbands also tell the time and weather. Workers also wear âworld...
View ArticleFacebook and the Awakening of Our Private Selves
I wrote about Facebook in a blog in January, pointing to ominous clouds on the horizon.For an update. Those clouds are now are overhead. Now with the ever-growing realization that Facebook has been a...
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Passive Aggressive Investing
Matterhorn Disaster by DoréYou are in a buy-and-hold, passive investment. So, you will make market returns.Not quite: Doing nothing doesn't mean your not doing something. Because while you are sitting...
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Brazilian Jiu Jitsu Black Belt
Fabio Coelho on my left, and Garry St. Leger on my rightI have written from time to time about my interest in Brazilian jiu jitsu. I have trained in Brazilian jiu jitsu for over twenty years, and have...
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The Hidden Risk of Passive and Index Hugging
What is wrong with passive investing and index hugging? One problem is that these strategies often use ETFs. I wrote about the potential for ETF meltdown last October, with a follow-up shortly...
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The World Cup and Making Soccer Less Boring
It is World Cup time, a good time to reintroduce two posts I did one of the last times we had the World Cup capture the imagination. One of them suggests changes to the game that will make soccer less...
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The Boys in the Cave
Here is a solution for getting the Thai soccer team out of the underwater cave:Fashion a watertight, flexible cylinder that a boy can fit in. It needs to be flexible so that it can be worked around...
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