Stocks and Precious Metals charts - Brexit's Rolling Boil - Thanksgiving Holiday Week

Lord, make me an instrument of your peace:
where there is hatred, let me sow love;
where there is injury, pardon;
where there is doubt, faith;
where there is despair, hope;
where there is darkness, light;
and where there is sadness, joy.

Francis d'Assisi


"Gratitude can transform common days into thanksgivings, turn routine jobs into joy, and change ordinary opportunities into blessings."

William Arthur Ward


"The blessed John the Evangelist lived in Ephesus until extreme old age.  His disciples could barely carry him to church and he could not muster the voice to speak many words. During individual gatherings he usually said nothing but, 'Little children, love one another.'   The disciples and brothers in attendance, annoyed because they always heard the same words, finally said, 'Teacher, why do you always say this?'  He replied with a line worthy of John: 'Because it is the Lord's commandment, and if it alone is kept, it is sufficient.'"

Jerome, Commentary on Galatians, 4th century


"For whosoever will cling to his life shall lose it: and whosoever will lose his life for my sake shall find it."

Mark 16:25

Stocks were ranging widely again today, and managed to gather themselves together after the European close and get taken up back into the green.

Gold and silver finished back up again, regaining much of the pricing they had lost over the past week.  I do believe that much of this was 'technical' trading associated with stock option expiration and the punters who like to pile into miners with leverage.

Next week Thursday is Thanksgiving holiday in the US.   Markets will be closed. 

Trading will likely be light with an upward bias, barring exogenous events.

Brexit seems to be troubled a bit.  PM May has made some dramatic changes to Brexit planning that seems to indicate further troubles with a lack of confidence in her plans and progress.

We had quite a bit of snow, which accumulated and lingered beyond the expectations of the forecasters.

Tomorrow I will be taking my son to the airport, so that he can spend the Thanksgiving holiday with his girlfriend who is a student at Imperial College.   It reminded me of the custom that the queen and I often had, of spending the Thanksgiving holiday in London.

When we first moved here from northern Ohio we didn't know anyone well.  And we would be driving home there for Christmas, so a trip back there was bit too much.  But the queen was a little homesick.

So as a special treat we would redeem my frequent flyer miles and go to London for the holiday week, frequently with side trips to Scotland or the midlands.  It was not a holiday there, but the Christmas decoration were already up, and places like Harrod's were magical.  She thrived in her explorations, and early Christmas shopping.  And of course it is the low season, so many cultural things we wished to see and do were highly available.  We had many fond memories and times there in the 80's and 90's.

But as for now, my three goddaughters, the queen's delegates on earth, a little army of an extended family here that the queen, in her abundant caring and goodness, had raised for us, had been speaking amongst themselves, and organized a holiday meal which I must abide for the 'sake of tradition.' 

I will also have in-laws visiting from Ohio that week.  But for whatever mad reason they will be spending Thanksgiving in NYC to 'watch the parade' and eat at a hotel.   I could not imagine anything I would like to do less.  Unless it was with grandchildren and the queen.

So despite my best efforts at being an old poop it will be a merry family holiday here once again.  I sense the hand of she-who-must-be-obeyed in all this, even from the beyond.  As she often noted, 'you do one stupid thing after another.'   And she had a point.  And I would retort, 'God made me that way so I would love you.'

Need little, want less, love more.  For those who abide in love abide in God, and God in them.

Have a pleasant weekend.

Stocks and Precious Metals Charts - Love and Thankfulness - Snow Day

“Man has places in his heart which do not yet exist, and into them enters suffering, in order that they may have existence.”

Léon Bloy


"The time will come when you will wish you could see the days of the Son of Man, but you will not see it.  There will be those who will say to you, ‘Look, over there!’ or, ‘Look, over here!’   But don't go out looking for it.  As the lightning flashes across the sky and lights it up from one side to the other, so will the Son of Man be in his time.  But first he must suffer much, and be rejected by the people of this day."

Luke 17:20-25


"They do not see the image of Almighty God before them, and ask themselves what He wishes.  And, for the same reason that they do not please Him, they succeed in pleasing themselves.  Hence, they become both self-satisfied and self-sufficient; – they think they know just what they ought to do, and that they do it all; and in consequence they are very well content with themselves, and rate their merit very high, and have no fear at all of any future scrutiny into their conduct...

Therefore I will trust Him. Whatever, wherever I am, I can never be thrown away. If I am in sickness, my sickness may serve Him; in perplexity, my perplexity may serve Him; if I am in sorrow, my sorrow may serve Him.   He does nothing in vain— He knows what He is about."

John Henry Newman

Repentance and forgiveness are the two great gifts of God, freely given, as noted before.  Without them we cannot rise to the level of our own humanity, and avoid sinking into an abyss of perverse isolation and despair.

But there is the third and greatest gift, which is thankfulness. For with thankfulness our sinful pride is vanquished, our hearts are opened, and love enters. And a light comes into our lives.

These are the three great gifts from God.

Stocks dipped down close to key support, and then managed to bolt back up and higher after the European close.

British politics were roiling the markets and especially the 'cable trade' in the pound-Dollar cross, as a series of resignations has called Prime Minister May's government into question.

Gold and silver drifted slightly higher along with the Dollar.

Tomorrow is a stock option expiration.

We have had our first snow of the season today. It started a little after noon, and is still snowing quite steadily and accumulating about two inches so far. We are looking at a possible changeover to sleet or freezing rain later on.

And of course they were ransacking the local supermarket. Unfortunately I thought I was beating the rush, but they let the kids out of school early so I had to navigate the turmoil. lol.

Stock option expiration tomorrow.

Have a pleasant evening.

Stocks and Precious Metals Charts - It's the Little Things That Make Life Worth Living

“To find the universal elements enough; to find the air and the water exhilarating; to be refreshed by a morning walk or an evening saunter... to be thrilled by the stars at night; to be elated over a bird's nest or a wildflower in spring — these are some of the rewards of the simple life.”

John Burroughs, Leaf and Tendril


“Sleep, the innocent sleep.  Sleep that knits up the raveled sleeve of care,  The death of each day’s life, sore labour’s bath, balm of hurt minds, great nature’s second course, chief nourisher in life’s feast.”

William Shakespeare

Stocks just could not hold an attempt at gains today, and added yet another day of losses to their recent record of red candlesticks.

Gold and silver would not be denied, on the other hand, and managed to rebound sharply after being pounded lower in the early trading.

Dolly and I were sleeping the sleep of those who had been out in the fresh air clearing up leaves ahead of an incoming storm. We may be getting our first snow tonight.  And so with a cup of tea and a warm blanket we slept soundly through the market close.

Well I was napping from tiredness and fresh air. She was merely keeping me company, as is her solemn duty.

I have included a video below that is an artist's depiction of what Dolly does when I come home from the store or working outside, and lay on the floor to allow her to express her appreciation.

She really does look like that, a black and white Chin Shih Tzu mix, albeit an older version and no longer a puppy, but still cute as a button.   But she is not all that much larger, probably a result of her previous household's lack of feeding and caring for her before just tossing her aside.   And she doesn't do the puppy biting, preferring to administer face licks, and in generous portions.  When I ask her if she wishes to have dinner, she spins around in anticipation.  She really is a little joy.

An unexpected nap under a warm blanket and a good dog is one of life's simple pleasures.

There will be a stock option expiration on Friday.

Have a pleasant evening.

Stocks and Precious Metals Charts - Kicks Keep Getting Harder to Find

"Most men of business think 'Anyhow this system will probably last my time. It has gone on a long time, and is likely to go on still.'"

Walter Bagehot, Lombard Street


"Greed is a bottomless pit which exhausts the person in an endless effort to satisfy the need without ever reaching satisfaction."

Erich Fromm

Gold and silver were off a bit today, along with the US dollar, and crude oil.

Stocks had another volatile, wide-ranging day that managed to finish closer to unchanged than not.

Nice rescue guys.

As a reminder there will be a stock option expiration on Friday.

I don't sense a lot of fear in this market, or high conviction buying either.  Maybe that will change, but the trading feels 'synthetic.'

It's generally just a game in the daily trade, but now thanks to the Fed and the regulators and the toads in the government it's all fun and games most of the time now.

We may be getting to the point when the games lose their energy, and the apogee of control fraud to the upside has been reached.  And the wiseguys will be eyeing each other thinking 'what next?'

Even things that seem to be so substantial as to be irreplaceable have their day, and then are no more.

Like the systems programmer said, 'CICS keep getting harder to find.'

Have a pleasant evening.