The TLFs INSIDER TRADER!

[guydesavoy]

(pacman @ May 05 2010,09:10)       It's a minute to midnight...          

After today's riots and deaths in Athens, you could be right Paccie...it could be Armageddon

I am putting all my assets in gold and US treasury and moving to Costa Rica where JD has aleady scoped out some nice villas with views...

Or maybe I'll just escape to Tassie

[PigDogg]

Sensing fear and loathing on the Street I bought VXX yesterday. That's an ETN that tracks the VIX.

Was up 2% in a couple hours.

There's a saying that gooes, there are bulls and bears and pigs and pigs get slaughtered. So I sold.

Up 25% today at it's peak today when the Dow was down 1000 points but rebounded sharply in about 15 minutes.

Woulda paid for my rent for a long time.

[Bumpa STIKKA]

[PigDogg]

(Bumpa STIKKA @ May 06 2010,11:32)    

I guess i can't be too sad about making a profit but 25% would have been allot better than 2%.

I'm actually up today since I'm more or less markey neutral.

Financial websites are overloaded and running slow.

[azza33]

(PigDogg @ May 07 2010,02:46) I'm actually up today since I'm more or less market neutral.  

That is classic funds management dribble

[El_hefe]

guydesavoy

I am putting all my assets in gold and US treasury and moving to Costa Rica where JD has aleady scoped out some nice villas with views...

Quite a number of people who are smarter than me think that US Treasury bonds are in a bubble now......

Costa Rica sounds good tho, I've been stalling looking at Panama, going to LOS in my off time instead, but Panama make make more sense in everyway except for ladyboys.

[azza33]

Short volatility

[manarak]

with short vola, you may be surprised by still coming EURO turmoils.

They are in for 300 Billion a year....

[azza33]

It's kinda getting to the stage of a known unknown... and last weeks craziness with the Dow should ensure a very high price for vol.
Ideal for shorting vol i think...

but then again...

And the way i see it... Europe is adding very little to the global recovery at any rate...

So when other markets realise that they will prosper with or without Europe requiring sovereign bailouts... volatility should drop accordingly.

[azza33]

By the way... is there a betting agency that takes bets on the euro & the european union going tits up??  

Wouldn't mind taking a running double there  

[pacman]

One item I recently read by a noted economic writer posits that as the EU didn't have the stomach to evict Greece from the Eurozone & as Spain, Portugal, Italy & Ireland will all be putting their hand up for help sooner than later, that Germany may exit the EU themselves.

As the powerhouse economy of Europe, they are not happy at the prospect of their prudent financial management & budget surplus being used to subsidise the life style of these profligate states.

The world watches events unfold in Europe with great interest. And the future of Euro stability is no sure thing. Which way would the French jump should Germany leave?

[azza33]

The euro-zone needs to dissolve and fast.

Floating currencies are important to reset imbalances in the economy.

For the completely fooked euro-zone countries, the currency will not devalue enough to facilitate a fast recovery - the result being prolonged misery.

And the stronger countries will actually benefit further as the currency will not appreciate as it should (leading to stronger trade surpluses), creating further imbalance between members of the euro-zone.

[azza33]

Good to see another one trillion dollars thrown at the problem

[PigDogg]

(azza33 @ May 08 2010,20:12) Short volatility

I think you're saying short sell the volatilty index.

But there is an ETN that tracks "short term" volatilty.

Maybe things will calm down who knows. But despite this weeks turmoil VXX which sort of tracks the VIX is lower than during all of 2009.

http://finance.yahoo.com/q/bc?s=VXX+Basic+Chart&t=2y

[PigDogg]

(azza33 @ May 06 2010,15:16)

(PigDogg @ May 07 2010,02:46) I'm actually up today since I'm more or less market neutral.  

That is classic funds management dribble  

The truth is it's tough to quantify my market exposure.

For example, I have some ED which is a low beta stock but it's counterbalanced by SH which shorts the S&P500.

ED goes ex-div today, Monday, so all else being equal it should drop 60 cents.