So now the downchannel is broken-out to upside and the H&S is negated. Santa has arrived.

So from the chart only, I will make a wild-a__-guess that the news is no taper, for now.

Am I right?

Watched this and just chickened out. Argh! 

http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2013-12-12/vix-trader-buys-5-1-million-in-call-options-to-bet-on-50-rally.html

The trader purchased 40,000 April calls on the VIX with a strike price of 22 for $1.28 each ...

If the market is a voting mechanism, that's a $5,000,000 statement of a very negative opinion.

Give the feller a break; he was likely still shovelin' in that last post 

Down, yes Steve? The Descending Triangle is a bearish continuation pattern, I think.

World fiat currency issuers are unlikely to allow it. The economic analysis of Bitcoin holds that a major criterion of a true currency is and will always be unmet by Bitcoin. It is not the liability of any issuing entity. In the old days, a dollar represented the liability of government to trade the paper for its value in gold. Setting aside the obvious, that dollars are no longer redemable in gold; the Bitcoin is an orphan in this sense. No one is actually the issuer and required to accept it as legal tender in settlement of all lawful debts. Hence, Bitcoin is not a currency, as economists view these things. Furthermore, while it may serve as a medium of exchange; it is hard to imagine Bitcoin as a store of value/wealth. The valuation is too volatile and the ownership too subject to interpretation by legislature and courts, not to mention hacking/confiscation by law enforcment. At least with cash/gold, they need a warrant and must appear in person.

Er, did you count those grey shades? How many do you have?

Dayum. That's so clever. Just wish that I had thought of this. Mega-, no wait, giga-kudos Matt! 

Yeah. That's a scary chart, with year end approaching, a market priced for global peace & perfection, and more things that may go wrong than ever. Yuk! No guts here either.

While very high investment grade, my SBUX bonds pay less than 2% YTM.

Safe, but not very profitable. 

chart link              

Love this chart. Thanks Matt!

42.19 (high on 08/1999) - 6.74 (low on 9/11) = 35.45.       current (Nov./2013) = 12.84

35.45 x 0.382 = 13.54.             13.54 + 6.74 = 20.28

To get here might require Dow 18,000 AND $900 gold. That's only a 12.5% move for the Dow. Yet a Tunguska-size crater (minus roughly 25%) for gold! Ouch!

Yet I recall from Matt's commodity newsletter that gold had been just horrid, and so, perhaps your prediction may come true. I would not be surprised by a 3-digit price for gold at all.

Thanks for a good idea.

Yes. But this is quite odd: Producers are long. When has that happened?

Agree. Better offline 

Not a joke, jobs lost. Read for yourself. 'HIDDEN TAX': Red tape tab nears $2T

http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2013/12/06/regulation-nation-govt-regs-estimated-to-cost-18t/

According to CEI, the biggest cost tucked into this year's agenda comes from environmental regulations, adding up to roughly $379 billion.

Got money and a job? Then this cost you nothing; others suffer. Compassion is scarce.

Also, the article (nor I) does not recommend the abolition of EPA. Put it on a leash.

I will not put words in your mouth, so long as you observe the same common decency. Thanks in advance.

The marginal cost of incremental benefit is always paid in some opportunity cost in other efforts not made, resources or productivity, and yes, even jobs lost. 

Kinda makes the impositions by EPA upon US appear pointless. Yet we pay more for what we need and have less jobs as a result. If 1 Billion+ do not share our concern for environment, then we can be pristine eco-nature lovers and it will still make no difference.   Solar stocks blocked by the smog! Those two posts go together. Nice Steve [Thumbs-Up]

Look for Carolyn Borodyn