Gardens and landscapes create the most fantastic mood to make you feel that you are one with nature. A garden or landscape coupled with the twitching of the birds; create that relaxing and peaceful atmosphere that everybody yearns especially if you bogged down by a stressful situation. This is the reason why most people often voyage to their country homes when they get an opportunity to take a couple of weeks from work. Green plants whether eaten or planted for aesthetic purposes have a restorative purpose in the human body and by design we cannot survive without gardens or forests.Over the years people have come to appreciate the need of gardening or landscaping in their office or home compounds. This is evident in the fact that landscapes and garden projects can be witnessed as you drive along the roads in most suburban estates or even office blocks with compounds to spare. Gardening and landscaping does not only have to be a preserve for the rich therefore gardens and landscapes can either be planted on a small or large compound. These gardens range from interior landscapes, hanging gardens, roof gardens, therapeutic gardens, kitchen gardens e.t.c. We shall look at each of these gardens and how they can be implemented in various spaces around your home or office.In urban or city living spaces, you could transform your unattractive rooftop into a work of art with a rooftop garden. A rooftop garden has various functional and recreational benefits which includes food temperature control, architectural enhancements, aesthetic beauty, corridors for insect life and an entertainment space for your guests.Secondly, enclosed environments such as shopping malls or office complex could feast their eyes on interior landscaping. This is the practice of designing, arranging and caring for living plants in enclosed environments. This type of landscaping has a wealth of benefits which include temperature control, improves the air quality by reducing toxins, acts as a noise buffer as well as creating that relaxing mood that you would get in an outdoor garden.Thirdly, if your main objective for creating a garden is purely for aesthetic purposes you could create a hanging garden. The most famous hanging gardens were located in present Iraq and they were so beautiful that they were part of the Seven Wonders of the World. In modern times, hanging gardens can be designed and created on walls, balconies, terraces e.t.cFourth, if you have a large compound you could create a therapeutic garden. This garden needs to be created by an expert because of the purpose it serves. Therapeutic gardens are designed to meet the physical, psychological, social and spiritual needs of people therefore they are often found in hospitals, nursing homes, hospices and outpatient cancer centers.Fifth, your home must have a kitchen garden. This garden can have a space of its own or serve as a centre feature in your landscape garden. A kitchen garden is where you plant cooking herbs and plants such as oregano, rosemary, sage, mint, kale, spinach, tomatoes, onions e.t.cIn conclusion, it is important to do your research and consult a landscape and gardening expert to assist you craft a plan for your garden in order to meet your desired objective.
SPDN: An Inexpensive Way To Profit When The S&P 500 Falls
Summary
SPDN is not the largest or oldest way to short the S&P 500, but it’s a solid choice.
This ETF uses a variety of financial instruments to target a return opposite that of the S&P 500 Index.
SPDN’s 0.49% Expense Ratio is nearly half that of the larger, longer-tenured -1x Inverse S&P 500 ETF.
Details aside, the potential continuation of the equity bear market makes single-inverse ETFs an investment segment investor should be familiar with.
We rate SPDN a Strong Buy because we believe the risks of a continued bear market greatly outweigh the possibility of a quick return to a bull market.
Put a gear stick into R position, (Reverse).
Birdlkportfolio
By Rob Isbitts
Summary
The S&P 500 is in a bear market, and we don’t see a quick-fix. Many investors assume the only way to navigate a potentially long-term bear market is to hide in cash, day-trade or “just hang in there” while the bear takes their retirement nest egg.
The Direxion Daily S&P 500® Bear 1X ETF (NYSEARCA:SPDN) is one of a class of single-inverse ETFs that allow investors to profit from down moves in the stock market.
SPDN is an unleveraged, liquid, low-cost way to either try to hedge an equity portfolio, profit from a decline in the S&P 500, or both. We rate it a Strong Buy, given our concern about the intermediate-term outlook for the global equity market.
Strategy
SPDN keeps it simple. If the S&P 500 goes up by X%, it should go down by X%. The opposite is also expected.
Proprietary ETF Grades
Offense/Defense: Defense
Segment: Inverse Equity
Sub-Segment: Inverse S&P 500
Correlation (vs. S&P 500): Very High (inverse)
Expected Volatility (vs. S&P 500): Similar (but opposite)
Holding Analysis
SPDN does not rely on shorting individual stocks in the S&P 500. Instead, the managers typically use a combination of futures, swaps and other derivative instruments to create a portfolio that consistently aims to deliver the opposite of what the S&P 500 does.
Strengths
SPDN is a fairly “no-frills” way to do what many investors probably wished they could do during the first 9 months of 2022 and in past bear markets: find something that goes up when the “market” goes down. After all, bonds are not the answer they used to be, commodities like gold have, shall we say, lost their luster. And moving to cash creates the issue of making two correct timing decisions, when to get in and when to get out. SPDN and its single-inverse ETF brethren offer a liquid tool to use in a variety of ways, depending on what a particular investor wants to achieve.
Weaknesses
The weakness of any inverse ETF is that it does the opposite of what the market does, when the market goes up. So, even in bear markets when the broader market trend is down, sharp bear market rallies (or any rallies for that matter) in the S&P 500 will cause SPDN to drop as much as the market goes up.
Opportunities
While inverse ETFs have a reputation in some circles as nothing more than day-trading vehicles, our own experience with them is, pardon the pun, exactly the opposite! We encourage investors to try to better-understand single inverse ETFs like SPDN. While traders tend to gravitate to leveraged inverse ETFs (which actually are day-trading tools), we believe that in an extended bear market, SPDN and its ilk could be a game-saver for many portfolios.
Threats
SPDN and most other single inverse ETFs are vulnerable to a sustained rise in the price of the index it aims to deliver the inverse of. But that threat of loss in a rising market means that when an investor considers SPDN, they should also have a game plan for how and when they will deploy this unique portfolio weapon.
Proprietary Technical Ratings
Short-Term Rating (next 3 months): Strong Buy
Long-Term Rating (next 12 months): Buy
Conclusions
ETF Quality Opinion
SPDN does what it aims to do, and has done so for over 6 years now. For a while, it was largely-ignored, given the existence of a similar ETF that has been around much longer. But the more tenured SPDN has become, the more attractive it looks as an alternative.
ETF Investment Opinion
SPDN is rated Strong Buy because the S&P 500 continues to look as vulnerable to further decline. And, while the market bottomed in mid-June, rallied, then waffled since that time, our proprietary macro market indicators all point to much greater risk of a major decline from this level than a fast return to bull market glory. Thus, SPDN is at best a way to exploit and attack the bear, and at worst a hedge on an otherwise equity-laden portfolio.
Why So Many Women Love To Wear High Heel Shoes
Women love high heeled shoes. It does not matter what their doctors say about the damage they can do to their feet. Fear of deformities like bunions caused by the foot sliding down into the shoe and cramping the big toe, might cause a woman to wear flats for casual events. For dress-up occasions, she will always come back to high heeled shoes. That is because no other shoe could make her feel sexier.Women do not agree on what should qualify as high heeled shoes. People who are not accustomed to wearing high heeled shoes may feel that a two or three inch heel is plenty high. With a heel of this height, walking and standing are not overly painful. At the same time, women can have some of the aesthetic benefits of wearing high heeled shoes. Some women will buy a pair of heels that are four inches or taller for special occasions. Because these shoes are so uncomfortable, women rarely wear them for long. The main exceptions are people who are in the entertainment industry.One reason women like to wear high heeled shoes is because they like to make themselves taller. Shorter women like to wear high heeled shoes to stand more equal to everyone else. The affect of the taller heels is to make the legs look longer. The length makes legs look supple and sensuous. This illusion is furthered because the definition of the calf muscles stands out. Because high heeled shoes make women’s legs look so shapely, even tall women want to wear them.There are other ways that high heeled shoes make a woman’s body more appealing. They change the whole posture a woman displays. While wearing high heeled shoes, a woman’s curves are more pronounced because of the positions of her derriere and chest. She also walks differently, with her hips moving gracefully. High heeled shoes not only make a women look better. She feels sexier wearing them as well. This can be seen in the confidence that is seen in women who wear high heeled shoes. They move with a smooth sexuality that women in flat soled shoes rarely show.Women wear high heeled shoes in a number of different situations. Parties and nights on the town, of course, are good places to wear heels. Business wear is popular in certain occupations. Bringing an air of feminine authority and visual height, high heeled shoes can make an impact in the boardroom. Yet, the impression is so subtle business associates will probably never know why the feel the way they do.The heels women wear the most are smart black high heeled shoes. Different people prefer different heights, but the lower heels are more common. They can be worn to a larger variety of occasions such as to work, to dinner parties, and even to more reserved events such as church or funerals. The high black heel is the sexiest of the heels. Stiletto heels may be difficult to walk in, but the look is fabulous. Other types of heels, such as the tapered heel or the block heel make the leg look different. Women wear these shoes to be in style and to show a level of sophistication that they never can in flat soled shoes.