Stocks and Precious Metals Charts - How Deep Is Our Hypocrisy

 

"My brothers and sisters, be quick to listen, slow to speak, and slower to become angry.  Anger does not produce the good that God requires.  Avoid the corruption and wickedness in your lives, and humbly accept the word that God has planted in your hearts, for it has the power to save you. 

Do not just listen to God’s word, but do what it says.  Otherwise, you are deceiving yourselves.  If you claim to be religious but don’t control your words, you are fooling yourself, and your religious observance is worthless.  Pure and genuine religion in the sight of God the Father means caring for orphans and widows in their distress, and refusing to allow the world to corrupt you. 

James 1:19-23, 26-27

 

"Far be it from us thus to fight against God's gracious purposes to man, and to make the weak brother perish, for whom Christ died!  Let us acknowledge all to be Christians, who have not by open word or deed renounced their fellowship with us, and let us try to lead them on into all truth.  

And for ourselves, let us endeavour to enter more and more fully into the meaning of our own prayers and professions; let us humble ourselves for the very little we do, and the poor advance we make; let us avoid unnecessary display of religion; let us do our duty in that state of life to which God has called us. 

Whether rich or poor, learned or unlearned, walking by this rule, we shall become, at length, true saints, sons of God.  We shall be upright and perfect, lights in the world, the image of Him who died that we might be conformed to His likeness."

John Henry Newman 

 

"For such men are false and deceitful preachers, who masquerade as apostles of Christ.  And no surprise, for even Satan can present himself as an angel of light.  So it is not strange that his ministers can also masquerade as ministers of righteousness.  Their ends will correspond to their actions." 

2 Cor 11:13-15

Stocks slumped today, but managed to take back their losses in the afternoon to finish slightly in the green.

Gold and silver rallied, still stuck on key overhead resistance.

The Fed minutes released this afternoon were dovish.  What a surprise.

The dollar fell.

Option expiration on Friday.

Have a pleasant evening.

 

Stocks and Precious Metals Charts - Relief Rally - Option Expiration on Friday

 

"Do you not yet see and understand?  Are your hearts that hardened?   Having eyes do you not see, and having ears do you not hear?  Don't you remember anything?"

Mark 8:17-18

 

“Beware the leaven of the Pharisees, which is a pious hypocrisy.  There is nothing covered that will not be uncovered, nothing hidden that will not be made known.  Whatever has been said in the dark will be heard in the light, and what has been whispered in private will be proclaimed from the rooftops."

Luke 12:1-3

 

"Now, it is plain that humility and teachableness are qualities of mind necessary for arriving at the truth in any subject, and in religious matters as well as others.  Impatient, proud, self-confident, obstinate men, are generally wrong in the opinions they form of persons and things.  Prejudice and self-conceit blind the eyes and mislead the judgment, whatever be the subject inquired into.  

When I see a person hasty and violent, harsh and high-minded, careless of what others feel, and disdainful of what they think;—when I see such a one proceeding to inquire into religious subjects, I am sure beforehand he cannot go right—he will not be led into all the truth—it is contrary to the nature of things and the experience of the world, that he should find what he is seeking. I should say the same were he seeking to find out what to believe or do in any other matter not religious,—but especially in any such important and solemn inquiry; for the fear of the Lord (humbleness, teachableness, reverence towards Him) is the very beginning of wisdom."

John Henry Newman

 

Stocks shook off geopolitical and other concerns and rallied higher, providing much needed relief for frustrated bulls.

Relief rally, get it?

Gold, silver and dollar fell as complacency broke out

Stock option expiration on Friday.

Have a pleasant evening.

Stocks and Precious Metals Charts - Risk of Not Understanding the Risks - Option Expiration on Friday

 

"I have told you all these things so that in me you may have peace.  Here on earth you will have many trials and sorrows.  But take heart, because I have overcome the world.”

John 16:33

 

"When troubles of any kind come your way, consider it an opportunity for great joy.  For you know that when your faith is tested, your endurance has a chance to grow.  So let it grow, for when your endurance is fully developed, you will be perfect and complete, needing nothing."

James 1:2-4

 

"The Pharisees came and began to argue with Jesus, seeking from him a sign from heaven to test him.  Sighing from the depths of his spirit he said, 'Why does this generation seek a sign?  Amen, I say to you, no such sign will be given to this generation.'”

 Mark 8:11-12 

There will be a stock option expiration this Friday.

Stocks slumped today, but managed to take back much if not all of their losses in the afternoon.

The risks associated with the geo-politics of the Ukraine, and the Fed's upcoming moves are fluid.

Gold and silver rallied today along with the Dollar.

Boys just want to have fun.

Have a pleasant evening.

Stocks and Precious Metals Charts - Geo-Political Jitters Shake Equity Markets, Trigger Flight to Safer Assets

 

“Reality denied comes back to haunt.”

Philip K. Dick, Flow My Tears, the Policeman Said  

 

"This market is one exogenous event away from a meltdown."

Jesse 11 January 2022

 

“Everybody knows that pestilences have a way of recurring in the world, yet somehow we find it hard to believe in ones that crash down on our heads from a blue sky.  There have been as many plagues as wars in history, yet always plagues and wars take people equally by surprise." 

Albert Camus, The Plague 

 

"The essence of God is existence, and He defines Himself as: 'I am Who am.'  The essence of the devil is the lie, and he defines himself as: 'I am who am not.'  Satan has very little trouble with those who do not believe in him; they are already on his side.

Those who have the faith had better keep in the state of grace, for in the coming age there will be only one way to stop your trembling knees, and that will be to get down on them and pray.  The most important problem in the world today is your soul, for that is what the struggle is about." 

Fulton J. Sheen

The simmering situation on the border between Russia and the Ukraine surfaced today.

It's not that anything terribly new has happened.   

The markets just stopped ignoring the increasingly tense situation.

Stocks sold off again-- hard.

The failed rally attempts off that last blow off top keep piling up.

Gold and silver and the Dollar rallied today in a classic flight to safer assets.

Bitcoin apparently didn't get the safer asset seal of approval.

Let's see what next week brings.

Have a pleasant weekend.