More Volatility

Volatility, including the last post, is a repeated theme on here. If you are an investor, the most succinct point to remember is that volatility in the S&P has fallen to the lowest levels in over a decade as discussed in August. Most specifically 13 years or over 3141 trading days. I've been on a typing binge lately and it's time for a minor reprieve. There probably won't be alot of posting this week due to other priorities but I wanted to make a few notes of two television programs dealing with global volatility. One I've watched and the other that I expect to be quite worthwhile. First is the multi-hour Planet In Peril on CNN hosted by Anderson Cooper, biologist Jeff Corwin and doctor Sanjay Gupta. You'll have to go to CNN.com to get the upcoming schedule or download option. Anderson Cooper is the real deal and in a bit of trivia is the son of the infamous Gloria Vanderbilt. He is a passionate journalist of integrity who has done some great work. As an aside, wait till you see the Body Burden testing he has done on himself. I've often wondered what the impact of chemical "goo" has on our health. I still believe some time in the distant future we could very well find out that chocolate chip cookies and barbeque ribs were the least of our worries.

The main reason for this post is a special to be shown on the National Geographic Channel on Thursday at 10PM eastern in the U.S. It is a documentary about the sun and its impact on the planet. While I haven't had time to write about it, I believe the sun plays a very significant role in global volatility cycles and human behavior. This statement might sound extremely odd but hopefully this special will address some of the scientific rationale because there is substantial empirical evidence to support it. I'm not sure how much they will delve into esoteric data points so I don't want to oversell the program but if this topic interests you, it may be something to watch.