Know when to hold 'em and when to fold 'emAs we approached the OPEC meeting in late November no one really believed that a deal in any form could be achieved, despite the unusual conjunction of circumstances that indicated just the opposite. In fact at no time previously in the history of OPEC, save for the Arab embargo in the 70’s had the conditions been so ripe for a consensus to close the floodgates. Most everybody had had enough. It was interesting to watch the short side play their hand in the oil & gas market in the run-up to the agreement. So certain were they of OPEC’s failure they just couldn’t help themselves and kept their heads in the trough right into the overnight awaiting the news. Next day BIR was up 50 cents on the open and since then the shorts have had serious difficulty disengaging. But the extreme forcefulness of the energy rally (and by extension to all stocks rallying after the Trump victory) marks the end of an era. And I raise a glass to that!