A Happy Easter

As I’m officially in charge of the sarcasm department here at Evil Speculator I am known to occasionally post irreverent themes around major holidays. But not this time. Not today, I’m afraid. Although I do not consider myself to be a strongly devout person I was raised within a strongly catholic culture (Austria) as a child. Since then my personal beliefs may have wavered over time, but even during my hyper-agnostic years I always maintained a deep admiration and gratitude for the immense cultural heritage I and others around me had been bestowed with and were permitted to take for granted.

So I have to admit, when my wife stormed into my office on Monday night telling me me that the roof of Notre Dame was engulfed in flames it deeply shocked me to the core and I’m not ashamed to say that I actually had to hold back tears. During a solemn dinner an hour later I experienced a slight pinch in my chest (no worries my heart is okay) and ended up meditating for a while in order to relieve some of the stress and despair I had been experiencing.

For the past few days I have been pondering why this event managed to affect me so deeply and upon further reflection I decided to share my thoughts with anyone willing to listen. If you’re not interested in touchy-feely stuff – good for you and feel free to simply skip further down to the charts 😉

For me as a European/American hybrid the Cathedral de Notre Dame represents not so much an impressive medieval relic but the very essence of a people that I am directly descended from. Its greatness in architecture, beauty, and attention to detail – the artifacts, sculptures and paintings all combined do not merely represent the pinnacle of human creation but are an expression of transcendence and faith in a higher purpose far beyond that of our earthly realm.

It is this very same commitment to a higher purpose – a devotion to creating heaven on earth – that is also reflected in the music of Johann Sebastian Bach, and which has continued to evoke feelings of awe and amazement many centuries past his death. His body may have long turned into dust but his spirit, the very essence of his inner beliefs and perception of the universe, all live on to this very day. Through his creations Bach manages to reach beyond time and space, delighting us whilst connecting with our souls on a deeply emotional level.

And perhaps it is this connection to our past that triggered such a strong emotional response in me when seeing Notre Dame engulfed in flames. Yes we may be able to use modern technology and Ubisoft’s 3D laser scans to rebuild the lost structures within our lifetime. But there are certain things in life that cannot be simply created or recreated from within a spiritual vacuum.

One we all hope to experience at least once in our lifetime is that of true and ever lasting love. The ingredients as well as the timing need to be just right to create a spark and allow love to flourish. I believe the same holds true for art or architecture that goes beyond practicality or is aimed at satisfying contemporary whims or necessities.

I for one console myself with the notion that this tragic incident may perhaps end up being a blessing in disguise. Assuming of course it manages to rekindle that same sense of transcendence – a pursuit of a higher purpose beyond the practical and scientific – that our ancestors all shared and which has become a rare commodity in a world that has increasingly turned self-absorbed and materialistic.

If we can somehow discover a renewed purpose in the process of recreating one of our most significant cultural achievements then there may just be hope that our future progeny will similarly revere us and cherish what we will leave behind.

It is with that sentiment of hope that I am wishing you all a very relaxing and happy Easter holiday.

Okay before I kick you out the door – we’ve got a promising looking setup on the E-Mini this morning. I just took out a long position with a stop < ES 2889. It’s a bit of a long shot ahead of a long holiday and I reserve the right to exit before the EOS if it doesn’t manage to get out of the gate after the open.

I am open to a short position if stopped out but would need to see a retest – a last kiss goodbye – of 2889 first. Possible target range on the short side is around 2850 plus minus a few handles.

Part of the reason for this long entry is that UVOL:DVOL yesterday were running almost neck on neck and then suddenly separated into the close. This does not mean we don’t see more downside but the potential for a counter response this morning are good.

My EUR/USD long campaign ended with 0.75R in profits this morning during a sudden sell off. I didn’t see anything on the news front that would have triggered this, so maybe it just ran out of juice. Which wouldn’t surprise me to be honest as it didn’t elicit a lot of mojo and was plagued by volatile swings on the way up.

One more goodie below the fold for my intrepid subs:

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