Pages

Sunday, December 17, 2023

Year End 2023

2023 we barely knew ye, your days left are but a few,
Much you’ve given us to ponder, a lot on which to chew.
The good the bad the ugly, we’ll analyze it all,
We’ll hit on all the highlights, the big ones and the small.
A list we have been keeping, the naughty and the nice,
Reflect on it we shall, and perhaps offer some advice.
Sit down or keep on standing, as you listen to these rhymes,
Let’s sum up the year’s events, let’s call out all the crimes.

The war grinds on in Ukraine, the death toll keeps on rising,
A stalemate at the front, no signs of Putin compromising.
For a few hours he looked at risk, from Wagner chief Prigozhin,
Who took some tanks and armor, and up to Moscow went bulldozin’.
Alas he lost his nerve, which meant his living days were numbered,
A mistake by the apprentice, to leave his master unencumbered.
Just two months to the day, from which the coup he did abstain.
Vlad took out some missiles, and shot down Yevgeny’s plane.

Sheer terror in southern Israel, vicious senseless slaughters,
Of young people at a rave, of mothers, sons, and daughters.
Other calamities we’ve had aplenty, in Hawaii deadly fire,
The Titan sub explosion, Ohio’s train derailment very dire.
Spy balloons over the heartland, as China tensions have snowballed,
Amidst US chip export restrictions, DC’s pandas have been recalled.
Boardroom drama for Sam Altman, much fear about the AI creature,
A House Speaker messy change, a Barbenheimer double feature.

Finland admitted into NATO, to ward off Russian dangers,
A first at the World Series, for the winning Texas Rangers.
A first too for Denver’s Nuggets, whose win we did applaud,
A Trump mug shot and indictment, alleging election fraud.
Kansas City came out on top, for the Super Bowl’s 57th ring,
In coronation glory, the Brits crowned Charles third as king.
Taylor Swift went out on tour, and found a new boyfriend,
Some dude named Travis Kelce, for the Chiefs he plays tight end.

Farewell we bid to greats, each one sure had the hunger,
Goodbye to Tony Bennett, goodbye now Charlie Munger.
Sandra Day O’Connor, you broke the glass ceiling on the Court,
Friends star Matthew Perry, a young life cut too short.
Tina Turner and David Crosby, live on your voices will,
No less Jimmy Buffett, in the sounds of Margaritaville.
Sam Zell and Henry Kissinger, your stars they did shine bright,
Yours too Jerry Springer, Dick Butkus and Bobby Knight.

In the financial markets, the Chinese reopening was a dud,
The mag seven soared anew, while crypto shook off the FUD.
Duration losses and deposit outflows, left the regionals shooting blanks,
Silicon Valley and First Republic, an existential crisis for these banks.
Chronic mismanagement at Credit Suisse, had created quite a mess,
Which ran into the ground, and the waiting arms of UBS.
Inflation has come down, looks like the Fed hikes will now stop,
The latest trade that is in vogue, is for interest rates to drop.

So what does it all mean, how to make sense of all this noise?
With so much daily blather, it’s hard to maintain your poise.
Media distraction runs amuck, it can be habit-forming,
So much to make you jumpy, like climate change and global warming.
Tune out the nasty rhetoric, it’s enough to make you tense,
Even the learned out amongst us, can spew some real nonsense.
Like these views on permitted speech, up in the ivory tower.
These college presidents testifying, make you want to take a shower.

With an election coming soon, we’ll pick a new leader in ’24,
With this geopolitical backdrop, who knows what next year has in store.
Maybe you’ll win the lottery, maybe you’ll inherit some Nvidia.
Maybe you’ll meet your spouse, maybe they’ll be named Jim or Lydia.
Take stock in this holiday season, of blessings in your life,
Your kids your friends your loved ones, your husband or your wife.
Don’t put up with all the haters, don’t tolerate a nasty boss,
Let’s make next year a good one, and don’t forget to floss.

Sunday, December 11, 2022

Year End 2022

2022 we have known you, but forget you we must,
In more ways than one, your time here's been a bust.
A land war in Europe, that has left us aghast,
A concept we believed, was firmly left in the past.
From the Ukrainian people, we take inspiration,
Standing up to the Russians, and defending their nation.
Financial markets too, they have not been good,
A bit further below, we'll look under that hood.
Let's review the year's news, the good and the bad,
To turn the calendar page, we may not be sad. 
 
From headlines this year, the covid receded,
In returning to normal, vaccines have succeeded.
Monkeypox threatened, and then faded from view,
Judge turned down $200 mil, and then smacked 62.
Johnson, Truss, and now Sunak, as British ministers prime,
Xi once more supreme leader, till the end of his time.
A Supreme Court bombshell, overturning Roe vs Wade,
$44 billion for Twitter, looks like Musk overpaid.
The supply chain improved, yet things remain out of stock,
At the Oscars this year, Will Smith face slapped Chris Rock.

At the Super Bowl in LA, the Rams would not be denied,
In this year’s college playoff, Georgia held back the Tide.
A World Series no-hitter, as Houston beat the Phillies in six,
In the NBA Finals, the Warriors outmanned the Celtics.
The Crown’s season five, we binged for many an hour,
And House of the Dragon, and Tolkien’s Rings of Power.
In an epic backfire, of real world political science,
Sweden and Finland, joined the NATO alliance.
The Dems lost the House, but not in in a much-feared landslide,
Cat four Hurricane Ian, destroyed Florida’s Gulf side.

In life they impressed, we miss them now that they’re gone,
You’re still the one that we want, Olivia Newton-John.
Sidney Poitier and Bob Saget, rappers Coolio and Takeoff,
You gave us perestroika and glasnost, Mikhail Gorbachev.
May Meat Loaf be in paradise, beyond the dashboard light,
Goodbye Jerry Lee Lewis, goodbye Madeleine Albright.
Queen Elizabeth did reign, for over seventy years,
On the court playing hoops, Bill Russell had no peers.
Angela Lansbury and Loretta Lynn, you earned your renown,
Goodfellas Paul Sorvino and Ray Liotta, Shinzo Abe gunned down.

What to say about the markets, without being profane?
If 60/40 is your jam, you’ve felt acute pain.
Belatedly reacting, to a bad case of inflation,
The Fed spiked the rates higher, hitting all things with duration.
Risk assets have suffered, pandemic trades reversed,
In crypto and SPACs, the selloff’s been the worst.
Big tech too has suffered, with Facebook down the most,
Nasdaq down $7 trillion, is not something you post.
The yield curve’s inverted, and some call for a crash,
If you’re not sure what to do, hold on to some cash.

If you feel a bit anxious, like the good times have flown,
Take solace in knowing, you are not alone.
The world is uncertain, they say recession is nigh,
It’s enough to make many, grown men want to cry.
The climate is changing, and Europe’s at war,
To make matters worse, Trump’s running once more.
As this year and this poem, soon come to a close,
I hope you will find, some time to repose.
Keep your family close, there’s nothing more dear,
And do your best in this season, to spread holiday cheer.

Thursday, December 9, 2021

Year End 2021

It’s passed by in a blur, another one almost done,
I feel we barely knew you, year twenty twenty one.
Spike protein mutations, now in our daily lexicon,
Moreover variants galore, alpha delta and now omicron.
Vaccines have been a Godsend, to prevent covid infection,
Yet so many have refused, to get the dual injection.
Therapeutics are improving, more defenses we are mounting,
Too late for far too many, five million dead and counting.
 
The New Year broke expectantly, we’d chosen a new President,
The vote had been confirmed, for the White House a new resident.
A peaceful change of power, we assumed would be completed,
Not so thought the incumbent, unable to accept he’d been defeated.
Before exiting his post, on the Capitol he provoked attack,
A mob incited by its leader, the hallowed building did ransack.
Twice impeached a historical first, as Trump joined the one term club,
Skipping the inauguration, to the establishment a final snub.
 
The year brought other news, at a pretty healthy clip,
In Texas winter blackouts, in the Suez Canal got stuck a ship.
Super Bowl Fifty Five, showcased the Buccaneers,
Led by the ageless Brady, a guy with no known peers.
Hurricanes and heatwaves, never ending weather disasters,
The first green jacket for Japan, as Matsuyama won the Masters.
European flooding taking weeks, for the waters to subside,
Tragedy in Florida, at a condo complex in Surfside.
 
Summer Olympics in Japan, the US medal lead did widen,
A bungled exit from Afghanistan, an early stain on Biden.
This year in the Fall Classic, the Braves took down the Astros,
Cuban protestors seeking freedom, from the shackles of the Castros.
Jeff Bezos and Richard Branson, on rockets for a space vacation,
In Haiti a massive earthquake, and a presidential assassination.
The Stanley Cup in hockey, captured by Tampa Bay redux,
Milwaukee waited fifty years, for the victory of their Bucks.
 
Again we lost many great ones, without them we aren’t whole,
Farewell to General Colin Powell, Goodbye to Senator Bob Dole.
Lee Elder broke the color barrier, at Augusta National playing golf,
We’ll miss New York rapper DMX, and Memphis star Young Dolph.
Stephen Sondheim wrote the music, Virgil Abloh sure had style,
Prince Philip Duke of Edinburgh, Hank Aaron hit the ball a mile.
Marvin Hagler and Leon Spinks, their punches hit you like a truck,
Charlie Watts gave the Stones their beat, Olympia Dukakis left us moonstruck.
 
Heady days in the markets, where behaviors were extreme,
Retail hordes trampled hedge funds, when GameStop became a meme.
Crypto came of age, El Salvador made bitcoin legal tender,
Supply chain issues and cheap money, have sent inflation on a bender.
If you’re having trouble with the lingo, Web3, NFT, DAO, and SPAC,
Worry not for in the metaverse, your avatar will pick up the slack.
A rebrand may be the ticket, for your company and stock,
Zuck’s Facebook is now Meta, Dorsey’s Square is now Block.
 
The virus isn’t disappearing, to this fact we are resigning,
With it always amongst us, our lives we are designing.
We have other worries too, that clutter up the brain,
Climate change and social injustice, Putin invading the Ukraine.
Please take time this month to unplug, and focus on the ones,
That matter most to you, your daughters and your sons.
I wish you all good health, I hope your year end’s sweet,
May you solve life's greatest mysteries, like how to fold a fitted sheet.

Monday, December 14, 2020

Year End 2020

A year of sorrow is soon ending, goodbye to 2020,
Miss you we will not, you’ve brought bad news aplenty.
As we struggle towards yearend, of better days we are desirous,
We won’t so soon forget, this grim year of coronavirus.
Forevermore our lives have changed, so too our daily tasks,
As we stare into a Zoom, and don our cotton masks.
Exposed this year it has, our lack of ready for pandemic,
Deep divisions in our society, and racism that’s systemic.
Before we turn the page, let’s take some time just to reflect,
And review all that’s transpired, each event we will dissect.

It snuck up on us slowly, and then with a sudden quickness,
Across the globe it spread, this horrid covid sickness.
Our closeness was our enemy, human bonds became our sins,
From a bat or from a lab, we’ll never know its origins.
By spring we were in lockdown, our behavior somewhat manic,
We disinfected every package, and hoarded TP in panic.
Ventilators, PPE, and testing, all in desperate short supply,
States pitted against each other, as we all wondered why.
Days at home stretched into months, and we all became quite grouchy,
We binge watched Tiger King, and grew fond of Doctor Fauci.

Spirits lifted with the temperature, and gatherings moved outside,
Some things began reopening, as infections did subside.
While the NBA prepared to bubble, to keep the spread at bay,
Any peace was quickly shattered, on a fateful day in May.
As George Floyd lay upon the street, handcuffed for all to see,
On his neck for nine long minutes, a cop pressed down his knee.
As he lay there slowly dying, and said he couldn’t breathe,
The footage quickly spread, and the nation began to seethe.
Protests raged across the country, people marching in solidarity,
In support of Black Lives Matter, and against police brutality.

Against this wretched backdrop, we had a strange election,
From two granddads in their seventies, we were making a selection.
The vast disparity between them, didn’t take too much explaining,
Quite stark even the difference, in their own styles of campaigning.
As the ballots all were counted, the gap began to widen,
The result was soon revealed, as the swing states broke for Biden.
To the embarrassment of most, Trump has not gracefully conceded,
And with a melting Giuliani, with claims of fraud he has proceeded.
Mr. President it’s over, your lame duck days are numbered,
Of your presence in the White House, we’ll soon be unencumbered.

This year we’ve lost so many, the majority of them nameless,
Over a million and a half from covid, victims that are blameless.
Many legends too were taken, some lives just cut too short,
Kobe Bryant the black mamba, who ruled the basketball court.
Naya Rivera brightly shined, in the glow of glee club lights,
The Honorable RBG, paved the way for women’s rights.
In the Golden Age of cinema, Kirk Douglas was always bold,
Kenny Rogers you did teach us, when to hold and when to fold.
The smiling Regis Philbin, forget you we will never,
The Black Panther Chadwick Boseman, RIP in Wakanda forever.

Don Shula’s undefeated season, no team has ever done the same,
Another feat no one’s repeated, Don Larsen’s World Series perfect game.
We lost other athletic greats, who lit up the big scoreboard,
Maradona and Tom Seaver, Lou Brock and Whitey Ford.
Jack Welch had all the answers, as 20 year boss man of GE,
Alex Trebek took all the questions, as 36 year host of Jeopardy.
Eddie Van Halen and Little Richard, Hall of Famers for their endeavors,
Civil rights leaders from the south, John Lewis and Charles Evers.
Sean Connery the great Scotsman, aka British special agent Bond,
May you continue your heroics, out in the great beyond.

Like everything this year, financial markets too were nuts,
You stood to make big money, but you had to have some guts.
We sold off hard in Feb and March, with all risk assets in the red,
Until we got some major stimulus, from both Congress and the Fed.
Oil futures traded negative, as lockdowns sapped demand,
And with a Saudi/Russia feud, global supply it did expand.
Growth stocks resurged anew, IPOs staged a huge comeback,
A lucky few have been invited, to the raucous party of the SPAC.
As the year draws to a close, a strong bull market is in session,
Not many would have guessed it, in the depths of this year’s recession.

So now we’re in December, and covid cases are exploding,
Vaccines are being rolled out, but the long dark winter is foreboding.
Pfizer/BioNTech and Moderna, and many others are quite close,
Some need a cold supply chain, and require a double dose.
New things this year we’ve learned, like how a curve is exponential,
We know now what it means, for a worker to really be essential.
So much this year’s been tragic, as a nation we’ve been tested,
But together we will triumph, by this virus we will not be bested.
Happy holidays to all, do your best some cheer to spread,
I tell you with conviction, better days lie not far ahead.

Monday, December 16, 2019

Year End 2019

Twenty nineteen is now ending, goodbye to the year and the decade,
Let's look back and then move forward, please do not be afraid.
As always in a year, there's been bad and there's been good,
We'll examine both below, we'll take a look under the hood.
The Patriots won again, they now have six Super Bowls,
This season may be different, their offense appears to have some holes.
We had some first time winners, that started brand new chapters,
The Nationals in DC, in Canada the Toronto Raptors.
In soccer the US women, took the win over in France,
UVA in college hoops, took the win in the big dance.

Many legends we have lost, great legacies they did bestow,
Supreme Court justice John Paul Stevens, the billionaire Ross Perot.
Fashion designer Karl Lagerfeld, actress and singer Doris Day,
JuiceWRLD the emo rapper, legendary architect IM Pei.
Peter Mayhew played Chewbacca, Cameron Boyce one of Disney's stars,
Eddie Money's got tickets to paradise, Ric Ocasek headlined the Cars.
Lee Iacocca rescued Chrysler, Gloria Vanderbilt's blue jeans were so tight,
Paul Volcker tamed inflation, Toni Morrison sure could write.
More shocking deaths emerged, fighting Thanos in Endgame,
Without Ironman and Black Widow, the Avengers won't be the same.

In Maduro’s Venezuela, things have really gone downhill,
A catastrophic dam break, in neighboring Brazil.
A crash in Ethiopia, revealing flaws for Boeing’s Max,
Mosque shootings in New Zealand, in Sri Lanka church attacks.
A mass shooting in El Paso, hours later a Dayton copy,
A Mormon massacre in Mexico, in the DR they shot Big Papi.
A tragic dive boat fire, California homes destroyed by flame,
The rainforest too is burning, another fire wrecked Notre Dame.
To know the climate’s not like the past, you don’t have to be a historian,
Just look at the Venice flooding, or the wreckage left by Dorian.

Trump and Kim Jong Un, becoming buddies seemingly,
Met up in Vietnam, then crossed Korea’s DMZ.
Major protests in Hong Kong, much to China’s consternation,
Riots too in Chile, over subway fare inflation.
Drone attacks on Saudi oil, Iran allegedly the source,
Al-Baghdadi in a tunnel, taken out by Delta Force.
Elections there were many, Zelensky in Ukraine,
Who then was asked to play a role, in an American campaign.
Modi’s BJP in India, won in a significant landslide,
As did Johnson in old England, where Brexit will not be denied.

The Dems too are campaigning, and grandstanding up on stage,
They're shaking all their fists, some are filled with lots of rage.
If you don't know whom to back, ask your daddy or your mommy,
There's the extremist Lizzie Warren, or Bernie the old commie.
After watching them debate, it's hard to feel inspired,
Andy Yang has decent energy, Joey Biden's looking tired.
Mayor Pete is quite articulate, he's one of two Rhodes scholars,
The other's Cory Booker, though he's behind in campaign dollars.
Billionaires Steyer and Bloomberg, have joined the magic quest,
Along with Klobuchar and Gabbard, they're a bit of a snooze fest.

In the markets things were rosy, as equities screamed higher,
For every stupid seller, there was an even dumber buyer.
Despite a trade war and more tariffs, and a brief inversion in the curve,
Jay Powell had your back, and gave the bulls plenty of nerve.
But not so unicorn IPOs, which were pretty much a bust,
And so in private valuations, engendering distrust.
Uber, Lyft, and Slack all traded lower, and then there was WeWork,
Where Masa bailed out Neumann, who ran off with billions and a smirk.
Crude oil rallied strongly, the bitcoin almost had a double,
Not so the bonds of Argentina, where an election caused some trouble.

So wrap up your year end business, wrap up the presents too,
Perhaps a baby Yoda, or some Air Pods for your crew.
Get away from all the noise, go find a respite on some beach,
Whichever side you’re on, of the motion to impeach.
In the coming vote next year, we may change the President’s name,
But we all should be prepared, that it may remain the same.
Let’s resolve to be more civil, on all of us rests this onus,
Let’s worry more about each other, than the size of this year’s bonus.
Happy New Year to you all, we’ve made it through another year,
Be good to those around you, and spread some holiday cheer.

Tuesday, December 11, 2018

Year End 2018

Two thousand and eighteen, come and gone so fast,
Turn the page in a few weeks, put it firmly in the past.
The days are growing shorter, the nights are getting colder,
As fall turns into winter, another year we all are older.
Put your politics aside, for a moment let’s be civil,
If you watch CNN or Fox, forget about all that drivel.
To this year’s beginning, let’s re-wind back the clock,
We’ll look at it holistically, not on a basis that’s ad hoc.

News there was aplenty, stories of people very brave,
A Thai soccer team and coach, rescued from a flooded cave.
Winter in PyeongChang, we saw the Olympic flame ignited,
And the South and North Koreans, marching with one flag united.
A Windsor Castle wedding, how those British royals sparkle,
The Duke and Duchess of Sussex, Prince Harry and Meghan Markle.
At his confirmation hearings, Kavanaugh faced some strong objections,
The Dems took back the House, in November’s midterm elections.

Farewell to Steven Hawking, Godspeed to John McCain,
Respect to Aretha Franklin, good eats to Anthony Bourdain.
The rich and famous lifestyles, did show us Robin Leach,
The evangelist Billy Graham, he sure knew how to preach.
George and Barbara Bush, a classy couple he and she,
A fond goodbye to Burt Reynolds, so long now to Stan Lee.
The most gruesome death this year, Khashoggi we do remember,
For whom a hit squad was dispatched, to murder and dismember.

A fourth term coronation for Putin, Xi’s now emperor for life,
Genocide in Burma, in Syria endless strife.
A June summit down in Singapore, Trump and Kim Jong-Un,
Raising hopes for a de-nuking, assuming you trust that pudgy goon.
A duck boat disaster in July, California fires in a recurring cycle,
Tragedies in Florida, the Parkland shooting and Hurricane Michael.
A former Russian spy in England, poisoned but still alive,
Great progress down in Saudi, where the women now can drive.

A caravan of migrants, heading northward towards the border,
So Trump dispatched the troops, vowing to keep the law and order.
China’s modifying the genes of babies, opening Pandora’s box,
In Boston they’re still cheering, the triumph of their Red Sox.
The Eagles flew and flew, and seized a rare victory dance,
At the World Cup in Russia, the trophy went to France.
The Warriors won in four, beating Cleveland in a hurry,
Even mighty LeBron was no match, for Durant and Curry.

Mueller’s investigation moves apace, slowly tightening the noose,
Seems he’s angling for bigger fish, and unwilling to call a truce.
White House turnover continues, it’s stormy near the throne,
Hope Hicks resigned in Feb, followed in March by Gary Cohn.
Rex Tillerson was fired, these shifts seem almost daily,
McCabe and McMaster, and don’t forget about Nikki Haley.
We’re told it’s no big deal, please don’t get the wrong impressions,
John Kelly’s out as well, following in the footsteps of Jeff Sessions.

This year in the markets, to almost nowhere could you flee,
It mattered not if you were in, fixed income, gold, or equity.
Two issues were to blame, which caused all this bloodshed,
One was the Chinese tariffs, the other was the Fed.
Two stocks were worth a trillion, the Amazon and the Apple,
For redemption from that greed, we’re now praying in the chapel.
Many charts are off the peak, so much it makes you holler,
The only things that have gone up, are volatility and the dollar.

So what awaits us all next year, in this uncertain future,
How to stop this sudden bleeding, and give our wounds a suture?
Perhaps reset your expectations, to a lower notch than outright brash,
It’s not time for crazy leverage, you’re not a fool to hold some cash.
The QE is unwinding, there’s no prior roadmap for this journey,
Before it’s over rest assured, some will be rolled out on a gurney.
Prepare to take more off the table, if risk assets make another rally,
You’ll be glad you did before, this pullback makes its grand finale.

But enough with gloom and doom, in this annual search for clarity,
Let’s count our many blessings, in this season of hope and charity.
If your tower’s Trump or made of ivory, let’s stop the nasty tweets,
And work to bridge our differences, and share some holiday treats.
Though we disagree quite often, consensus we must reach,
Whether you’re in the camp of one more term, or the one of let’s impeach.
Let’s take a year end break, from trade wars and yield curve kinks.
Look up now from your smartphone, and enjoy some New Year’s drinks.

Wednesday, December 13, 2017

Year End 2017

Another year is ending, seventeen is in the books,
Before moving to the passing lane, let’s take some rearview looks.
Let’s review who’s made the news, every hero and every chump,
And take stock of where we are, a year into the reign of Trump.
We’ve had some ups and downs, of some things we are not proud,
Like the challenge some had measuring, the tiny inauguration crowd.
With my rhymes now please bear with me, your patience I do beseech,
Sit back now and relax, like Christie on a shut down beach.

The eclipse was pretty awesome, moving from northwest down to southeast,
Love or hate that guy Tom Brady, that Super Bowl comeback was pretty beast.
Sexual misconduct allegations, men abusing positions of power,
Weinstein, Franken, O’Reilly, Moore, Rose, Spacey, and Lauer.
Catalonia voted for secession, alas the Spaniards took it back,
Too bad Equifax can’t do that, with your personal info lost in the hack.
The women marched on Washington, with quite a large turnout,
The Astros won in seven, the Warriors won in a rout.

Bad news we had aplenty, always on terror high alert,
Trucks driving into people, bombs at a Manchester concert.
Migrants fleeing into Europe, refugees pouring out of Burma,
Hurricanes smashing the Carribean, Maria, Harvey, Nate and Irma.
Maduro in Venezuela, Kim Jong-Un and other kooks,
Destroying their own countries, or hell bent on having nukes.
Destruction in Aleppo, a double California fire outbreak,
Mass shootings in Vegas and Texas, a Mexican earthquake.

Goodbye we said to many, without them empty we may feel,
Chuck Berry rolled over Beethoven, Monte Hall taught us how to make a deal.
David Cassidy and Jerry Lewis, of you we were quite fond,
Hugh Hefner was our playboy, Roger Moore was our James Bond.
Sam Shephard and Tom Petty, Lil Peep and Fats Domino.
The psychopath Charles Manson, no one’s sad to see him go.
The diplomat Zbigniew Brzezinski, we never could pronounce your name,
The chancellor Helmut Kohl, reuniting Germany brought you fame.

The first year of the administration, an interesting one it’s been,
Few legislative victories, but a guilty plea from Flynn.
The Russia thing’s a mess, always another strange plot twist,
Manafort, Gates, and Papadopolous, on Mueller’s naughty list.
Price, Preibus and Steve Bannon, not one a year did survive,
Scaramucci had his day, well to be accurate he lasted five.
Comey from his post ejected, for excessive investigatory intervening,
Before resigning I wish that Spicer, had explained covfefe’s meaning.

Our country is divided, the left against the right,
Every issue that’s debated, ends up a bitter fight.
All you nutty fringe extremists, on both sides of the aisle,
Put your country before your party, and stop being so hostile.
Enough with the shouting and the violence, don’t get all up in my grill,
Please stop all of this chaos, we don’t want another Charlottesville.
Our country isn’t perfect, we have many problems that do displease,
But to the NFL you’ve made your point, it’s time to get up off your knees.

The markets have been bullish, with synchronized global growth,
To short every little vol spike, we all have now taken an oath.
Credit spreads have tightened, the momentum trade has been astounding,
US short rates have moved higher, dollar weakness has been confounding.
The yield curve it has flattened, emerging markets all have rallied,
Large cap growth stocks are on top, a winning year they’ve tallied.
But the winner of them all, has been the bitcoin and the crypto,
They’ve sprinted ever higher, this is no walk, or jog, or tiptoe.

So the New Year is upon us, it’s getting really close,
Please put down all those opioids, you don’t need another dose.
In eighteen please stay alert, I don’t think it will be boring,
Vol may just make a comeback, you don’t want to be caught snoring.
A new Fed chair’s taking charge, as the balance sheet is shrinking,
Of buying every dip, you may want to do some fast rethinking.
With your gains this holiday season, be generous and don’t be chintzy,
Be charitable with your winnings, and don’t spend $450 million on a da Vinci.