Latest news with #SovietUnion
Globe and Mail
7 hours ago
- Business
- Globe and Mail
Quant Signals Point to High-Probability Trades in UNH, CVX and SOUN This Week
In the film 'Enemy at the Gates,' an early scene set in the midst of the Battle of Stalingrad shows the classic Soviet meatgrinder attack: essentially, it's an attempt to overrun enemy positions with massive scale, irrespective of the cost. Because this brute Russian logic applies throughout the underlying society, it's a human rights catastrophe. But applied to data? The statistical implications are impregnable and that's the beauty of the Playmaker forecasting model I've been using over the past month-and-a-half period. Fundamentally, the discipline of trading — specifically options trading — focuses on probabilities. Because the framework is short term and defined, the emphasis is less on the 'why' of a particular asset or security and more on the 'how': how much, how fast and, most importantly, how likely. Generally, there are two ways of approaching the probabilistic dilemma. The standard American or western approach is to attempt to find signals and patterns in the continuous scalar signal that is the share price. Here, stochastic calculus and partial derivatives are deployed to estimate future price ranges. However, with the advent of artificial intelligence, analysts no longer need to estimate probabilities; they can directly count the datapoints in brute fashion at blistering scale and speed. But in order to make data comparisons across vast ranges of time, it's important to compress this demand profile into its most elemental, binary form. And that's what the Playmaker does, count tens of thousands of market breadth datapoints — or sequences of accumulation and distribution — to identify highly probabilistic trades. I'm not here to tell you why I think these stocks may move higher. Frankly, that's irrelevant. No, I'm letting the data guide the discourse. Below are three stocks to put on your watchlist for the coming week. UnitedHealth (UNH) Let's start with a controversial idea in the form of UnitedHealth (UNH). The healthcare giant has just about hit every branch of the ugly tree. You don't need me to rehash the same tired narratives. What you might not be aware of is that from a market breadth perspective, UNH stock may be signaling a reversal pattern. In the past two months, UNH stock has printed a '4-6-D' sequence: four up weeks, six down weeks, with a net negative trajectory across the 10-week period. In 66% of cases, the following week's price action results in upside, with a median return of 2.88%. Should the 4-6-D sequence pan out as projected, UNH stock could potentially reach over $310 within a week or two. What makes this setup so intriguing is that, as a baseline, the chance that a long position will be profitable over any given week is only 54.49%. Therefore, the 4-6-D shifts the odds firmly in favor of the bullish speculator. With the above market intelligence in mind, I'm looking at the 305/310 bull call spread expiring June 20. This transaction involves buying the $305 call and simultaneously selling the $310 call, for a net debit paid of $260. Should UNH stock rise through the short strike price at expiration, the maximum reward is $240, or a payout of over 92%. Chevron (CVX) Thanks to widescale societal changes combined with economic challenges, circumstances have not been favorable for the oil industry. Since the start of the year, supermajor Chevron (CVX) has struggled for traction, with CVX stock losing almost 6%. For context, the benchmark S&P 500 — which isn't exactly storming up the charts — is up half-a-percent. Still, market breadth data provides a different impression of the hydrocarbon juggernaut. In the past two months, CVX stock printed a 3-7-D sequence: three up weeks, seven down weeks, with a net negative trajectory across the 10-week period. Notably, this relatively rare pattern generates a 70.27% probability that the following week's price action will rise, with a median return of 2.6%. On Friday, CVX stock closed at $136.70. If the implications of the 3-7-D pan out predictably, it may soon reach over $140. Now, Chevron exemplifies why a Barchart Premier membership is worth its weight in gold. With Premier access, traders can drill down the available bull spreads for the June 20 expiration date. Specifically, the 138/140 bull spread is enticing because $140 is a legitimately rational target and the payout is robust at over 104%. In my opinion, the aforementioned spread is favorably mispriced. SoundHound AI (SOUN) I don't mean to rehash an idea that I already discussed just a few weeks ago. Still, SoundHound AI (SOUN) is awfully intriguing because of its relatively low share price and high popularity among retail traders. This presents on occasion a favorably combustible mix that, if timed correctly, could generate significant gains in a short period. A few weeks ago, I mentioned that SOUN stock had printed a 3-7-D sequence: three up weeks, seven down weeks, with a net negative trajectory across the 10-week period. At the time, I mentioned that the pattern generated a 58.33% probability that the following week's price action will result in upside, with a median return of 13.58%. This time around, we're back at a similar juncture with a 3-7 sequence. However, the twist is that the 10-week period has resulted in a positive trajectory. The 'U' iteration of the 3-7 has materialized only six times since SoundHound's public market debut. And in all six cases, the following week's price action swung higher, with a median return of 15.08%. Generally, I take 100% success ratios with a huge grain of salt. Still, the 3-7 sequence, whether of the up or down variety, ultimately favors the bulls. If you're willing to play the numbers game, the 10/11 bull call spread expiring June 20 is awfully tempting.
Washington Post
a day ago
- General
- Washington Post
A statue of Stalin is unveiled in the Moscow subway as Russia tries to revive the dictator's legacy
A monument to Josef Stalin has been unveiled at one of Moscow's busiest subway stations, the latest attempt by Russian authorities to revive the legacy of the brutal Soviet dictator. The sculpture shows Stalin surrounded by beaming workers and children with flowers. It was installed at the Taganskaya station to mark the 90th anniversary of the Moscow Metro, the sprawling subway known for its mosaics, chandeliers and other ornate decorations that was built under Stalin.
CTV News
a day ago
- General
- CTV News
A statue of Stalin is unveiled in the Moscow subway as Russia tries to revive the dictator's legacy
Passengers walk in front of a monument to Soviet leader Josef Stalin at the Taganskaya subway station in Moscow, Russia, on Wednesday, May 21, 2025. (AP Photo/Alexander Zemlianichenko, File) A monument to Josef Stalin has been unveiled at one of Moscow's busiest subway stations, the latest attempt by Russian authorities to revive the legacy of the brutal Soviet dictator. The sculpture shows Stalin surrounded by beaming workers and children with flowers. It was installed at the Taganskaya station to mark the 90th anniversary of the Moscow Metro, the sprawling subway known for its mosaics, chandeliers and other ornate decorations that was built under Stalin. It replaces an earlier tribute that was removed in the decade following Stalin's 1953 death in a drive to root out his 'cult of personality' and reckon with decades of repression marked by show trials, nighttime arrests and millions killed or thrown into prison camps as 'enemies of the people.' Muscovites have given differing responses to the unveiling earlier this month. Many commuters took photos of the monument and some laid flowers beneath it. Aleksei Zavatsin, 22, told The Associated Press that Stalin was a 'great man' who had 'made a poor country into a superpower.' 'He raised the country from its knees,' he said. But another resident who identified herself only as Marina recalled her grandmother saying 'the whole country was living in fear' under Stalin. Activists from a Russian political movement that voices pro-democratic and nationalist views, protested by placing posters at the foot of the monument that quoted top politicians condemning the dictator. One poster, featuring President Vladimir Putin, cited him as bemoaning Stalin's 'mass crimes against the people,' and saying his modernization of the USSR came at the price of 'unacceptable' repression. The unveiling came weeks after Putin signed a decree renaming the airport in Volgograd as Stalingrad — as the city was called when the Soviet Red Army defeated Nazi German forces there in one of the bloodiest battles of World War II. Volgograd itself briefly reverted to its former name on May 8-9 for Victory Day celebrations and will be temporarily renamed five more times this year to mark related wartime anniversaries. Putin has invoked the Battle of Stalingrad, which lasted five months and saw up to two million soldiers and civilians killed, as justification for Moscow's actions in Ukraine. Russian political analyst Pyotr Miloserdov said the Kremlin has used a broader drive to embrace Stalin's legacy to justify both the conflict in Ukraine and crackdown on dissent at home. 'Stalin was a tyrant, a despot, and that's what we need,' he told AP. Authorities want to revive Stalin's image to popularize the idea of strongman rule, he added, and paint violence and repression as justified under extraordinary circumstances. 'This can lead to justifying any senseless, forceful actions. Under Stalin, this was allowed, there was a war. ... So, here is our special military operation, and now this is allowed too. This is simply an attempt to justify the use of force on people,' Miloserdov said. Moscow, The Associated Press
Russia Today
2 days ago
- Business
- Russia Today
Lenin's tomb to get $250k makeover
Russia's Ministry of Culture has signed a contract to restore Lenin's Mausoleum on Red Square for nearly 20 million rubles (about $250,000), according to official tender records. The restoration will address structural damage and update the site for modern use, project documents show. Work is expected to be completed by mid-2027. The mausoleum, which houses the embalmed body of Soviet leader Vladimir Lenin, is one of the most recognizable landmarks in Russia. It has undergone regular maintenance and has been closed on several occasions in recent years, including for public events. An inspection found several parts of the building to be in poor condition, with some areas requiring urgent repairs. The report also cited crumbling surfaces and mold caused by inadequate ventilation. Lenin remains a divisive figure in Russian history. While some view him as a visionary who led the 1917 October Revolution to establish a fairer society, others regard him as a tyrant responsible for mass repression and death. The revolution sparked a civil war, after which the Bolsheviks consolidated control over much of the former Russian Empire. These territories were united in 1922 to form the Soviet Union. Lenin died two years later, in 1924. The mausoleum's red granite and black labradorite structure was constructed between 1929 and 1930. Lenin's body has remained on public display since shortly after his death. According to a 2024 poll by the Russian Public Opinion Research Center (VCIOM), one-third of respondents support keeping Lenin in the mausoleum. Thirty percent favor immediate burial, while 27% believe reburial should occur only if it would not cause controversy. Debate over Lenin's interment resurfaces periodically. While some public figures have called for burial and alternative uses of the site, officials have consistently stated there are no current plans to rebury him. In 2021, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Moscow had no intention of relocating Lenin's remains, citing other national priorities.
South China Morning Post
2 days ago
- Entertainment
- South China Morning Post
The original picture discs that could get you thrown in a Soviet jail
Take out your earpods for a sec – really – so I can tell you a crazy story. (Or smack you – you should be more aware of your surroundings.) Music today is, of course, a commodity almost as readily available as water on tap – click a button or two and pretty much anything you can think of is yours to listen to. In the Soviet Union during the 1950s and 60s, authorities allowed only state-approved music, banning genres they considered decadent. Now imagine another place and time, the Soviet Union in the 1950s and 60s, where no music was allowed. (OK, I exaggerate: state-approved music was allowed but not even parents wanted to listen to that dreck – anything actually good was forbidden. Western radio stations were jammed, rock music was banned, records were confiscated at the border.) The authorities tried to seal off all of that Western decadence outside the Iron Curtain. But the pressure of rock 'n' roll was hard to contain, and inevitably the wall leaked. A lot. Especially in Leningrad (now St Petersburg), a Soviet port town dripping with incoming Western indulgence. Ships arrived with smuggled records (and worth-their-weight-in-gold Levi's jeans, as well as just about anything else cool from the West) in sailors' duffel bags and diplomatic pouches. Beatles records, along with those of other Western artists, had to be smuggled into the Soviet Union. Photo: AP Sooner or later you could find somebody who had smuggled in the latest Elvis or Beatles 45 record, and if you had enough roubles, and were willing to risk getting busted, that vinyl could be yours.
