All Blog Entries

Yesterday was a whipsaw day with a better than expected CPI report turning negative pre-market futures into a big positive open for stocks. The Dow closed down 30-points, which was well off the 322-point decline we saw at the midday lows. The S&P 500 was up 35-points early on, or almost 1%, but it gave that back and much more before it crawled its way back into positive territory, then regained some upside momentum in the late afternoon trading. Bonds were up and a decline in yields. ...

Another choppy day for stocks as the digestion of Friday's big rally continued. Late selling in the final hour of trading stopped an attempt by the bulls to erase the morning losses as the indices were hitting their highs by mid-afternoon. The debt ceiling meeting being held at The White House after the bell yesterday may have triggered some of that late selling. The Dow, down 57-points, and the small caps held up best with each posting minor losses of less than 0.20%. Bonds were down for a ...

Stocks opened mixed on Monday morning, and after some choppy pushing and pulling in a tight range, they ended mixed as well with minor losses in the Dow, and minor gains in the S&P 500 (C-fund), the S-fund, and the Nasdaq. Bonds were down as yields moved up and the 2-year Treasury moved back to 4%. It was a very light trading day as investors seem to be trying to figure out what is going on. As the debt ceiling deadline gets closer, the market seems to believe some kind of resolution ...

A combination of a better than expected jobs report and a healthy earnings report from Apple triggered a massive rally on Friday to help repair a month that had gotten off to a very poor start. The Dow gained 547-points on the day and small caps led the way with a 2.23% gain. Bonds were down sharply as the stronger than expected jobs report pushed yields higher. It may get the Fed a little more hawkish, but the next FOMC meeting still is more than 5 weeks away.

...

Jobs reports are tricky for investors. There is a balance that needs to be respected. A balance of a healthy economy and a market friendly Fed. Picture a tightrope walker, also known as a funambulist. The funambulist is the market, their tight rope is the support keeping them (prices) from falling.

The funambulist fears both sides of the wire. On the right he has inflation deteriorating his purchasing power, a worry about the cost of tomorrow. On the left he has a central ...