Blog Archives
Bottom of the Economic Tub
December 7, 2009
Good morning. It was a strong week for the market last week after that sneaky sell-off the day after Thanksgiving due to the impending default of Dubai World. Dubai World, $60 B, Dubai stock market down 6% this morning, chump change, who cares?
The Sherman Act
October 19, 2009
Good morning. A positive week for the market last week, even with a down Friday due to a couple of rocky earnings reports. The SPY closed at 108.89, up 1.5% for the week, bringing the total rally in the SPY from the March low to 62.3%. Friday there was positive earnings from Google, but not so positive from IBM, GE, and Bank of America. In fact, BAC still seems to be writing off some loans in the consumer sector and will continue to have some problems in that area for a while. The question is, how much of even a positive earnings announcement is already anticipated in the price?
Monday Rant
August 17, 2009
Good morning. First down week in a while for the market, but only a little, with Friday’s late rally almost pulling the SPY even for the week. The SPY closed at 100.79, down from 101.20, or .4%. The VIX was actually down for the week, closing at 24.27, down from last week’s close of 24.76. The little damage that was done to the market was generally attributed to the surprise Consumer Confidence reading of 63.2 versus forecast of 69.
The Water Is Still Cold
August 10, 2009
Good morning. First off, I would like to extend an invitation to you to attend our Saturday, August 29th Protected Index Program In-Office Seminar, which will be from 9:00am – 12:00pm at our downtown Chicago office. It is completely complimentary and we provide a nice continental breakfast, coffee bar and classroom materials. My brother Dan and I will be presenting and you will also get to meet some of the PTI brokers and staff and ask all the questions you want. Seats are still available but you must register to attend. Click here to view the details and register. I hope to see you there!
Yet another positive week for the market last week, propelled mainly by Friday’s rally after the relatively positive jobs data. For the week the SPY was up 2.4%, from 98.81 to 101.20, with most (1.31 points) of that gain coming on Friday. The VIX was also down on the week, from 25.92 to 24.76, although curiously still above the 23.09 close of two weeks ago. The even more amazing thing is the moves in individual stocks, mostly those that are steeped in government involvement.
A Little Revolution…
May 18, 2009
Good morning. The market had its first losing week in a while last week, but not horrible. The SPY was down 4.27 on the week, from 92.98 to 88.71, leaving it down 4.5% on the week and 1.7% on the year. Some of the sell-off last week was due to a huge supply of new issues, as many of the large banks and some others went out to raise new capital. The good news is that most were able to find new sources of capital at these levels, so at a lower level the market is still performing its main function, providing capital to those firms in need.