Unraveling The VXX Roll Yield Riddle [View article]
Nice article! Well done. To all the newbies out there trying to short or buy a ETN /ETP $VIX products, beware, as these things are not logical. Watch the NAV and market value along with the daily holdings and VIX future trade structure. They will not go away until the SEC bans them. There are no "HOLDERS " of VXX of significance (only real pikers hold on to this long term) ONLY big shorts on the other end. Call your broker and find out how much he' ll charge you a year to short this (maybe 10-12% a year), so only the big boys short this. I wouldn't be surprised if Barclays holds the biggest short in VXX as a hedge. Don't try to hold XIV or SVXY for long, as they will get worked 50-70% on the next VIX spike of 100+%. These products aren't going away soon. Read the prospectus, we've all been warned of the risk, plus this thing trades 20-30MM shares a day! That's big money for Barclays plus the marketmakers and HFTs that trade this. Good luck trading everybody!
Don't Short The Market, Buy Volatility Instead [View article]
Major! This was your event, Italy was the wildcard. Hopefully you can make money on your trade, before vxx starts its vicious cycle downward again. Vix futures in backwardation which will benefit VXX in the short term. I'll be selling calls on VXX going out 6-9 months. Give the VIX sometime to revert to its mean.
Don't Short The Market, Buy Volatility Instead [View article]
Tough trade. Your best case is that VXX pops 10-15% -, but the one thing that congress has shown us is that a last minute deal is almost imminent. We saw this in 2010, again with Fiscal Cliff in 2012, and now in Fiscal Cliff 2.0. Sure the VIX can shoot back to 15-17 but even this will not be enough to give VXX enough of a pop. As long as the VIX term structure is in contango, the hedgies and all the premiums sellers will continue pounding this thing making sure it doesn't pop. You need a unknown event to hit us. Not a reversion to mean. Remember VIX traded between 10-20 in 2003-2006 era.
Don't Short The Market, Buy Volatility Instead [View article]
VIXY and VXX will continue to go down to zero. Then reverse split and do it all over again. MAR and APRIL contracts are still trading 20-25% above spot. If these contracts are owned in the vixy (which they are, and they rollout 5% everyday) you can lose 20-25% easily if the VIX fails to pop at least 25%. Please be aware that selling volatility premium has become a hedge fund favor since 2011. There is a big short interest in VIX futures, and you can get a short squeeze, but you have to keep in mind that everybody knows to short these products when they pop. That's why the pops above 20ish are short and few in the last 24 months. I would stay away from going long any VIX ETN or ETF. Best to play this the old fashion way, either buy options on $SPX or SPY, or on the VIX.
Silver on its way to $20. Descending bearish triangle will play out in the next 6-12 months and will shake out even the strong hands which will ultimately bring silver back to $12-14. Take it from a wall street guy :)
'U.S. Banking System Is Effectively Insolvent' - Soros [View article]
Soros has been right on the money with some of his calls. I don't understand why he favors the Euro over the dollar. The Eurozone has its own problems and has potentially more toxic debt than the US. I can't take everything he is saying too seriously though. I mean come on! The guy is bias. I'll give him credit for making great points.
Mike Mayo's Seven Deadly Sins of Banking [View article]
His comments definitely shook the market. I like the article that I read on CNBC on how the Treasury may (for the 2nd time) push back the date for the bank stress test results. They didn't want to do it during earnings seasons as it may increase the overall volatility in the market. My question is whether or not they are going to give us full disclosure on what banks are really in deep crap!!
FHLB Chairman Quits Due to Discomfort with FASB Shifting Accounting Rules [View article]
This is interesting to see how things will pan out in the next 6-12 months. I am more interested to see what happens when they mature @ par. Who is responsible for paying back the holders of these securities.
Unraveling The VXX Roll Yield Riddle [View article]
Don't Short The Market, Buy Volatility Instead [View article]
Don't Short The Market, Buy Volatility Instead [View article]
long as the VIX term structure is in contango, the hedgies and all the premiums sellers will continue pounding this thing making sure it doesn't pop. You need a unknown event to hit us. Not a reversion to mean. Remember VIX traded between 10-20 in 2003-2006 era.
Don't Short The Market, Buy Volatility Instead [View article]
Silver Prices: Ready For A Move? [View article]
Youku.com: Worth Watching [View article]
'U.S. Banking System Is Effectively Insolvent' - Soros [View article]
Mike Mayo's Seven Deadly Sins of Banking [View article]
FHLB Chairman Quits Due to Discomfort with FASB Shifting Accounting Rules [View article]