Blog Archives
Geithner and Zombie Banks
September 19, 2011
Good morning. The market was strong every day last week, closing up 4.8% on the week at 121.52. So far in September, historically the weakest month for the market, we have seen the market down strong 3 days, up big one, down 2, and now up 5, all for a net loss of 70 cents in the SPY. Last week’s strong market caused the VIX to drop 19.7% to 30.98, the lowest close since August 3, 2011. Why the sudden optimism, or at least the semi-disappearance of fear in the market (as defined by the VIX Index)?
Political Economics
August 15, 2011
Good morning. I think the term wild week for last week would be a solid understatement, although in the aggregate the movement on the week was fairly muted considering the intra-weekly swings. Two days of rally mode on Thursday and Friday had the SPY closing down only 1.6% on the week at 118.12, after trading as low as110.27 on Tuesday. For the last two weeks, however, Friday’s close was off a very somber 11+ points, or 14.8%. That is a rough ten trading days by anyone’s measure.
Who Wants the Truth?
June 27, 2011
Good morning. The SPY finished the week down .24 (call it flat) after having some wild moves on Wednesday and Thursday. A rally early in the week culminated in a Wednesday high of 129.81, only to sell off to a Thursday low of 126.19 before bouncing back strongly (after yet another announcement of impending settlement in Greece) to a Thursday close of 128.30. Based on the strength of that bounce you might have thought the rally would continue, but you would have been mistaken, or at least early.
An Insult to Every American
June 28, 2010
“If you want to find out why our PIP Program performs as favorably as it does, sign up for our July 17th In-Office Protected Index Program Seminar.” — Tom Haugh
Good morning. Down week for the market last week, with the S&P losing 3.5% to close at 107.87. The VIX shot up 16% to close at the fairly high number of 28.53. It seems, for the moment at least, that we are still stuck in this trading range of roughly 1040 to 1120 on the S&P, with the market wanting to flutter somewhat violently back and forth from the 1080 number.
What I’ve Learned vs. What I Believe
August 24, 2009
LAST CHANCE TO REGISTER, FOLKS! If you’re a trader or investor in the Chicago area and you’ve never attended a complimentary Protected Index Program® Seminar before, register for our Saturday August 29th 3-hour session from 9:00am – noon at our Loop Office. My brother Dan and I will be discussing how our long-term portfolio strategy works and answering your questions. You will also meet some of our talented staff and enjoy a free breakfast and coffee bar. All handouts and classroom materials will be provided, but you must register.
And, if you cannot attend a Chicago seminar, I encourage you to register for the 90-Minute PIP Teleconference on Wednesday, September 9th from 6:00pm – 7:30pm Central Time – get details here. There is no cost for this session, either! All you need to join in is a phone and PC — participate from anywhere in the U.S. – from your home or office!
Good morning. The market was back in the plus column last week, despite a deep sell-off to start the week last Monday. For the week the SPY was up 2.18, or 2.2%, to close at 102.97, a number not seen since last October 6. The VIX was actually up slightly for the week, finishing up.74 to close at 25.01.