Stocks, Bonds & Politics: September 2015

FINRA has changed its link information so many of my prior links to that site will no longer work. I changed my link in this post to the main FINRA site since the old one no longer worked due to that change.

My lack of qualifications for writing this blog are detailed in Stocks, Bonds & Politics: OG's Qualifications and Lack of Qualifications.

For any new readers, RB stands for my Right Brain and LB for my Left Brain, both in a constant state of discord. The Headknocker (HK), the ultimate boss here at HQ, sometimes referred to as the Great Leader with a tinge of sarcasm, is exactly what the name describes, a real hard case, a more enhanced and older version of the young LB sometimes pictured in the profile section of the post. The LB still believes it is 16 years old (or not a day over 21), with a lot of hair, capable of running a mile without drawing a deep breath, without an ounce of body fat, referring frequently to itself as the Young Stock Stud. The LB is the only Focus Machine at HQ.

The Old Geezer (OG) is a more mellow version of the HK, who reads theology and philosophy, and who is at least willing to listen to the RB, but frequently is subject to a case of nerves which has never afflicted the HK for even a nano second. The HK frequently sends the OG to the Old Folks Home for one or more transgressions involving a failure to advance HK's capital position as Head Trader, which is rarely important to the OG, but is the only important matter to the HK.

All of these characters are caricatures of different personality traits of one individual investor, who is finely attuned to all of their voices, now in his fourth decade of managing his own money.

The left brain (LB) is serious, rational, logical, analytical, organized and highly focused, a linear thinker absorbed with details and looking at the parts rather than the big picture. The right brain (RB) is the antithesis of the LB. The RB is subjective, intuitive & led by feelings, impulsive, creative, emotional, unfocused, and capable of seeing the big picture unlike the LB.

Right Brain Left Brain Inventory

Most of these discussions, involving these personalities and brain characteristics, are intended for instructional purposes, and sometimes for humor. The topic of the role played by the brain structure in making investment decisions is explored in Jason Zweig's book : " Your Money and Your Brain: How the New Science of Neuroeconomics Can Help Make You Rich" Zweig would call my LB the reflective brain and my RB the reflexive. The reflexive brain gets the first crack at decision making, often the only crack for many investors, which would be viewed as a mortal sin here at HQ.

Being a prolific and wordy writer, this blog has expanded in a short time to over 1900 posts since October 2008, mostly long ones. Consequently, the best way to find specific information in this blog now is to use the Google search box on the right hand side rather than the search box at the top left hand side.

I would recommend that anyone interested in Trust Preferred, Trust Certificates or other exchange traded bonds register at the free site QuantumOnline.com. That site has links to the prospectuses and has other helpful information including credit ratings and a list of the preferred stocks that pay qualified dividends under current U.S. tax law.

Anyone interested in Bonds needs to become familiar with the free FINRA site. Company Infomation

FINRA links made prior to mid-2014 or so no longer work due to a change in the links made by Finra.

To find information about a firm's bonds, just enter the stock symbol, click go, then scroll to bond in the "search box", and then you will be on the bond page for that company. You can also search for each bond the trades by customized dates at the bottom of each page.

Bond searches can also start at this Finra page: Bonds Home

Some links in this post will cease to work with the passage of time.

READERS OF OLDER POSTS HAVE TO ASSUME THAT THE DATA MENTIONED IN SUCH POSTS WAS CURRENT ONLY AT THE TIME SUCH POST WAS WRITTEN, AND THE READER NEEDS TO CHECK FOR MORE RECENT INFORMATION.

Gateway Posts for Asset Allocation Theory and Practice:

VIX ASSET ALLOCATION MODEL:USING THE VIX MODEL AS A TIMING INDICATOR FOR LONGER TERM STOCK ALLOCATIONS:

The market is currently in an Unstable Vix Pattern. A Trigger Event In The Vix Asset Allocation Model 8/31/15 - South Gent | Seeking Alpha; Update For Portfolio Positioning And Management As Of 9/1/15 - South Gent | Seeking Alpha

Vix Asset Allocation Model - South Gent | Seeking Alpha
Trading Strategy Under The Vix Asset Allocation Model: Part 1 - South Gent | Seeking Alpha
Trading Strategy Vix Asset Allocation Model Part 2: Hedging In An Unstable Vix Pattern - South Gent | Seeking Alpha

Stocks, Bonds & Politics: Stable Vix Pattern as of 9/26/12

Vix Asset Allocation Model Explained Simply With as Few Words as Possible

VIX Chart from 2007: Alerts and Triggers Major Disruption of Cyclical Stable Bull VIX Pattern (August 2007)

VIX and S & P Compared 1990 to 1997

Mark Hulbert and the Use of the VIX as a Timing Model (October 10, 2011 Post)

Multiple Confirmations of VIX Model-Canary in a Coal Mine

More on VIX AND ASSET ALLOCATION
Trading and Asset Allocation in Stable and Unstable VIX Pattern
Further Discussion of Volatility and Asset Allocation
Stable and Unstable VIX Patterns Impacting Changes in Allocation to Stocks, Bonds and Cash

Vix Charts from 2004 2005 2006 Stable VIX Patterns Phase 1 and Phase 2

Parallels to VXO 1987-1988

Signal To Change Asset Allocation-Each Individual Needs to Assess Their Own Situational Risks}

Current Status of the Vix Asset Allocation Model (item # 1 6/13/11 Post)
Continuation of Unstable VIX Pattern/Possible Head and Shoulders in the S & P 500 Forming (July 28, 2011 Post)
VIX and Trading Rules in An Unstable Vix Pattern Within the Context of a Long Term Secular Bear Market (8/5/11 Post)
More Discussion on Asset Allocation in Unstable Vix Patterns (item # 3 10/6/11 Post)

DYNAMIC ASSET ALLOCATION:Time for a Paradigm Shift in Asset Allocation Theory: Need Dynamism, Better Assessment of All Forms of Risk, and Due Regard to Volatility Patterns

Using Volatility as a Risk Management Tool for Equity Preferred Stocks: Embracing Volatility as A Risk Management Tool In the Sub-Asset Class of Equity Preferred Stock

Stocks for the Long Run and Professor Siegel: To Professor Siegel: Time for a Re-Think The Roller Coaster Ride of the Long Term Secular Bear Market Duality of Long Term Risks Long Term Stock Risks and Situational Risk/Managing Lost Opportunity Risk in a Long Term Secular Bull and Bear Markets 1974 or 1982: Start of Cyclical Bull in a Long Term Secular Bear Market or the Start of Secular Bull Market? More on 1982 or 1974 Continued Discussion on 1982 or 1974 Historical VIX Patterns The Importance of Identifying the Underlying Causes of Long Term Bull and Bear Markets LONG TERM SECULAR BULL PATTERN 1950 TO 1966/ Long Term Secular Bear Pattern from The Great Depression VIX Chart from 2007: Alerts and Triggers Major Disruption of Cyclical Stable Bull VIX Pattern Static v. Dynamic Asset Allocation Instability & Volatility in Asset Correlations

More on Failures of Standard Asset Allocation Models and Target Funds/Use of Volatility in an Asset Class to Make Adjustments to an Asset Allocation