Veterans Day & Low Index Volatility & Economic Reports 11.12.2014

1. Stock Index futures back to “controlled/manipulated mode” with not much fear = tight ranges, most of the move happens overnight, low volatility.
2. Veteran’s day today – If you are trading bonds like I do and did some homework from previous Veteran’s days, you would have found out that becuase the pit session in bonds is closed and the banks are closed, the preferred method for today would have been to counter trend any moves over 7 ticks from yesterday’s close. As it happened bonds were down about 11 ticks at the low for today and finished unchanged…..There are many more examples and keeping a good trading journal can help you keep track of your research and find certain days with high probability for certain behavior.

Talking about Veteran’s Day made me realize that yesterday’s blog should have been dedicated to our veterans and not about the markets, but better late than never…..:

From CNN:

Check your assumptions

“Veterans are very often stereotyped into two stock characters: the crying wounded or the guy who jumps the White House fence to get to the President,” said Paul Rieckhoff, the executive director of the Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America, a national nonprofit with more than 200,000 members.

“Don’t treat us like victims,” said Rieckhoff, an Amherst College graduate and former Wall Street investment analyst who led an Army platoon in Iraq in 2003 and 2004. “We’re not broken. We’ve been through a lot, but we’re rising out of it.”

While national discussion and media coverage of post-traumatic stress disorder has chipped away at some of the generations-old entrenched stigma associated with mental illness, many of these stories involving PTSD make headlines because they involve violence, Rieckhoff said.

It’s critical for everyone to remember that having PTSD doesn’t mean a person will be violent, and not every veteran has PTSD.

Each veteran has a unique story. Their military service has probably shaped them in profound ways, but they are not the sum total of that time. Take the time get to know one of them. They have a lot of lessons to share.

Invest in veterans – it’s good business

One of the biggest hurdles service members face after leaving the military is finding a job. About 77% of veterans have struggled through unemployment and more than a quarter have searched for more than a year for a job, according to Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America.

But there’s reason for hope, judging by recent figures from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. The unemployment rate for post 9/11 veterans peaked in January 2011 at 15.2%, CNNMoney reported. In October 2013, there was 10% unemployment. Last month, the job picture for veterans improved as unemployment hovered around 7%. (The national unemployment rate is 5.8%.)

Many corporations have launched new hiring initiatives for veterans. In April 2013, Walmart pledged to give 100,000 veterans jobs within five years. In November 2013, Starbucks launched a nationwide initiative to hire 10,000 veterans and spouses by the end of 2018. Uber is driving programs to hire veterans.