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I had hoped that by summer's end there would be no more trade war posts to write but there appears to be no end to the ongoing struggle. Fears of a recession are increasing, so much so that Bank Of America is offering advice on how to navigate the impending slow down, the price of everything continues to march upwards,  retailers are failing in droves , and even a Republican lawmaker is calling for a tax cut due to tariffs . This last point should prove once again that a tariff is a tax passed on to consumers, but try to explain that to the true believers who support the fun and easy to win economic policies of the current administration. At least things aren't boring. The market reaction to the Fed's announced rate cut (which flies in the face of all logic) followed almost immediately by a tweet announcing more tariffs on Chinese products sent the VIX off the charts and VIX traders into a rapture or rupture, depending on which side of the trade they were on. And yet,

I'll start by assuming you've heard of Bitcoin and perhaps some of the other cryptocurrencies, such as Ether and Litecoin. If not, a quick web search is in order. If you have been following the prices of cryptos, you'll no doubt be as stunned as the rest of the world by their volatility. 2017 was the year of All Time Highs being met swiftly and regularly, while 2018 to the current date of this writing is considered the "crypto winter". While the current price represents roughly 80% decline from the all time highs reached in December 2017, even this is not the greatest drop the 10 year history of Bitcoin. What lessons do we take from the wild ride that is crypto? Lesson One: Volatility is an inherent part of the landscape, at least for now. Dizzying highs and gut-wrenching lows are the norm. If you can't handle volatility, avoid crypto like the plague. As always, NEVER invest more than you can afford to lose. In a high volatility environment, such