Travel to Financial Success

Figure 1.  SKEW Index vs SPX Index In [1], it states that: Note the recent move lower in skew . Downside protection has become cheaper in terms of volatility (relatively speaking). Are we looking for a similar set up to the one we saw in September? Is Santa still alive? What's SKEW Index? The SKEW index is calculated using S&P 500 options that measure tail risk—returns two or more standard deviations from the mean—in S&P 500 returns over the next 30 days . The primary difference between the VIX and the SKEW is that the VIX is based upon implied volatility round the at-the-money (ATM) strike price while the  SKEW   considers implied volatility of out-of-the-money (OTM) strikes . SKEW  values generally range from 100 to 150 where the higher the rating, the higher the perceived tail risk and chance of a black swan event . A  SKEW  rating of 100 means the perceived distribution of S&P 500 returns is normal and, therefore, the probability of ...

Santa Claus Rally  A Santa Claus rally is a jump in stock prices, observed in the final five trading days of the year, typically starting a day after Christmas and going into the first two of January. Historically, this seven-day period has brought good news for investors, giving them another reason to cheer during the holiday season. [1] Why is that, you might ask? Here are some thoughts: [3] Some suspect that the Santa Claus rally is a result of general feelings of investor optimism around the holidays . Others point to the fact that many institutional investors , who tend to be more pessimistic about the markets, go on vacation around the holidays and leave the market to retail investors who are often more bullish . Other explanations include the investing of holiday bonuses, lower trading volumes around the holiday season, end-of-year tax considerations for institutions and holiday consumer spending boosting sales . Moreover, some say that the Santa Claus rally is a result...

In an article named  Time to chase laggards? published on zerohedge.com website on 12/19/2021.  It asks a good question whether it's time to chase the laggards in the stock markets now.  One of laggards (i.e., it has performed very poorly lately) mentioned in the article is: hedge fund concentration (i.e., GSTHHVIP and GSTHVISP) Note that if a stock is on the "VIP" list, it means that a lot of hedge funds own it and if a stock on the "Most shorted" list, it means that a lot of hedgies hate it. Figure 1.  GSTHHVIP vs GSTHVISP (Source:  Goldman Sachs ) Goldman Sachs Hedge Fund VIP Index In [1], it describes the methodology for the Goldman Sachs Hedge Fund VIP Index: The Goldman Sachs Hedge Fund VIP Index (the “Index”) is owned by Goldman Sachs Asset Management L.P. (the “Index Sponsor”).  The Index is calculated by Solactive AG (the “Calculation Agent”).  The Index consists of hedge fund managers’ “Very-Important-Positions ,” or the US-listed stocks w...

During pandemic, you may not drive your car as frequently as you normally does and you may fail the OBD-II  inspection with " Not Ready " status (i.e., your inspection failed ). In this article, we will cover two topics: What is OBD-II monitor readiness? How to pass the OB-II inspection? What is OBD-II monitor readiness? On 1996 and newer model year vehicles, the on board diagnostic system (OBD-II) performs up to eleven diagnostic checks of vehicle emission control systems. These checks are performed in the background during normal driving and are designed not to interfere with vehicle performance or safety. If a fault is detected, the powertrain control module (PCM – The computer) illuminates the malfunction indicator light (MIL – Check Engine – Service Vehicle Soon). If the PCM loses power for any reason (Including a disconnected or depleted battery ), or if diagnostic trouble codes are cleared using a diagnostic scan tool , readiness monitors will indicate an incomple...

Today, upon a bus, I saw a very beautiful woman and wished I were as beautiful. When suddenly she rose to leave, I saw her hobble down the aisle. She had one leg and used a crutch. But as she passed, she passed a smile. Oh, God, forgive me when I whine. I have two legs; the world is mine. I stopped to buy some candy. The lad who sold it had such charm. I talked with him, he seemed so glad. If I were late, it'd do no harm. And as I left, he said to me, "I thank you, you've been so kind.  It's nice to talk with folks like you.  You see," he said, "I'm blind."  Oh, God, forgive me when I whine.  I have two eyes; the world is mine. Later while walking down the street, I saw a child I knew. He stood and watched the others play, but he did not know what to do. I stopped a moment and then I said, Why don't you join them dear?" He looked ahead without a word. I forgot, he couldn't hear. Oh, God, forgive me when I whine. I have two ears; the worl...

You can read the below publication on ssa.gov for full details: Your Payments While You Are Outside the United States In this article, we will try to highlight important bullets for you.  Being outside the United States may affect your Social Security payments The information you need to report to SSA, and how to report it How to Contact Social Security Administration If you have questions, you can: For general Information  visit SSA website at  www.ssa.gov For specific question Call toll-free at 800-772-1213 from 8 a.m. to 7 p.m., Mon through Fri. Call TTY number, 800-325-0778 if you are deaf or hard of hearing Write or visit any Social Security office. If you plan to visit an office, you may call ahead to make an appointment. Finally, you may also write the Social Security Administration at: P.O. Box 17775 Baltimore, Maryland, 21235-7775  USA If you live outside the United States, you can contact the nearest Federal Benefits Units .   Office of Earnings ...

When Can You Enroll in Medicare? Starting at age 65, you can enroll in  Medicare . [1]  You no longer have to rely on employer-sponsored or private health insurance plans. There are 2 main ways to get your Medicare coverage: Original Medicare (Part A and/or Part B) Medicare Advantage Plan (Part C) Please read a companion article for more details. Before you make a decision, you can get local, personalized Medicare counseling from the  State Health Insurance Assistance Program  ( SHIP ).   You  can  apply for Medicare  online  by visiting the Medicare section of the  Social Security website .  Note that you can apply Medicare online  even if you are NOT ready to retire—read Publication No.  05-10043   and the below article:        Deciding Whether to Enroll in Medicare Part A and Part B When You Turn 65 You need to register for Medicare benefits during a  seven-month window , including th...

When you buy a new laptop, your lithium battery might be shipped in a plastic bag with UN 3480 label on it (see Figure 1).  What does it mean?  Can you carry your laptop (lithium battery included) on your flight? Figure 1.  UN 3480 , Lithium ion batteries (shipped by themselves) Types of Lithium Batteries Lithium batteries  are dangerous goods and, as such, require special packaging for transportation. All domestic and international shipments containing lithium batteries are subject to transport regulations on hazardous goods according to  ADR (truck)/RID (rail) ,  ADN ,  IMDG ,  ICAO  /  IATA  Regulations. Lithium batteries are basically distinguished as: [2] Lithium metal batteries  In general are non rechargable and contain metallic lithium.  Lithium ion batteries Don´t contain metallic anymore, but a lithium compound (lithium oxide) and they are rechargable. Often they are called accumulators. What's UN 3480? The Unite...

Universal Serial Bus (USB) is an industry standard that establishes specifications for cables and connectors and protocols for connection, communication and power supply ( interfacing ) between computers, peripherals and other computers. A broad variety of USB hardware exists, including eleven different connectors , of which USB-C is the most recent. Figure 1.  Lenovo T495 Figure 2.  Lenovo ports layout Always On USB 3.1 connector (Figure 2.9) There is a feature called "Always On USB" which allows devices connected to the laptop via USB to be powered over USB even when the Operating system (Windows 10 in my case) shuts down . USB 2 and USB 3 Compatibility USB 3.0 backwards is compatible—meaning it's designed to work with older USB versions including USB 2.0 and USB 1.1.  You can plug a USB 2.0 device into a USB 3.0 port and it will always work, but it will only run at the speed of the USB 2.0 technology. USB 3.0 Flash Drives and card readers are backwards compati...