It’s been quite the ride up for markets in 2012. If you’re keeping score, we have the SPX up 6.7%, Nasdaq up 11.5% and the Dow Industrials higher by about 5%. Pretty good numbers for an entire year, but for the first five weeks of the year? Off the charts! Could the markets have been [...]
Lots of convergences about to play out this coming week with a plethora of earnings, a Fed meeting and important economic data including a first look at 4th quarter GDP. Markets could be considered overbought or neutral by different metrics. Sentiment has become rather ‘bulled up’ (more on that below) but that is not necessarily [...]
That didn’t take long. Dow up nearly 1000 points in a week. Sentiment changes so quickly these days in these times of uncertainty. How was everyone feeling after Thanksgiving? A bit of indigestion for sure. Back in risk ON mode now? I cannot recall such an extended time of quick turns in trading and [...]
Let’s all agree on something – the market is always right. Therefore, a five day rally is meaningful, right? After all, markets had not seen such positive a move since late June. But then, the markets unraveled. All the problems of Europe are gone now – poof! Just like magic, snap of a finger Greece [...]
There was so much about August that was bad but then again the trading really made a difference for those who were nimble. Let’s see now: debt ceiling, debt downgrade, multiple issues in Europe, the Fed and Bernanke…let’s throw in an economic slowdown and you have the ingredients for volatility. Too much uncertainty and the [...]
Jill is back this week with some comments about recent developments in finance-land. She calls out Bernanke, Buffett and Lagarde – with their manic-depressive personalities clashing with doing the right thing. I particularly like how she tells us how this group creates some anxiety, which is never a good answer for markets. Enjoy! There’s no [...]
There is no sugar coating the market action last week, it was downright awful. What looked like a promising start turned into a disastrous finish with the Dow finishing off 600 points in two days, the SPX off a staggering 70 on Thursday and Friday. The gap down to end the week was a killer [...]
More good stuff from the ‘Queen of Markets’, Jill De Quincey. Today, she talks about the Fed’s decision to sit back for awhile and their ‘hands off policy’. She gives us a nice point of view from an outsider’s perspective. I particularly like the emphasis on too much Europe and the goings on in England, [...]
Was anyone a bit surprised the Fed’s statement was silent on the recent debt downgrade or the debt ceiling debate? Hmmm…more on that later. That was quite the ride, wasn’t it? Down 30 handles overnight only to recover and open higher by 14, stay strong through the Fed meeting with vol elevated only to have [...]
‘Marching’ into the Madness
March. My favorite time of year. Flowers blooming, weather getting warmer, daylight savings time and the best event in sports – the NCAA basketball tourney (March Madness – time to fill out those brackets!). The thrills, chills, excitement and buzzer beaters are unparalleled through the two week tournament. I also love the action in markets [...]
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