Stock Market Blog -Feb 24th

The market saw its first weekly loss for the year. Jobless claims rose by 20,000. Gold and Oil prices dropped, while the Dollar and Bonds rallied.

New all time highs:    AON, CHD, COG, CL, D, HCN, KMB, TRV, VTR...
All time lows: PGH
Pops:  FIRE    -Drops:  GRMN, HUM, PAY, TOL

Next week: Economic reports  Fed Chairman speaks...
Earnings reports:  HD, LOW, M,  QCOR,  (retailers)

Market Commentary

 
We finally got a pullback from the rally that started last November. I don't think the pullback is over yet, especially with anxiety over the upcoming budget cuts in government this week. This week's potential market movers: Budget/sequester, Fed before Congress.

This week's charts:

Weekly Unemployment claims
S&P 500 ...getting ready for a bigger pullback?
OptionsMakeSense

  The VIX finally moved up this week, after hitting muli-year lows... 

Commodities/Futures (charts):
Crude Oil dropped, closing near $93.13
Natural Gas was up, closing near $3.29
Gold dropped, closing near $1572 -below 1600!
The 30 year Bond rallied, closing near $144
The US Dollar was up again, closing near 81.58

NEWS:
S&P, Nasdaq wrap up worst week of 2013
Sorry Bears, We're In A Secular Bull Market
Office Depot to buy rival OfficeMax
Visa And MasterCard: Great Long-Term Stocks With Positive Upgrades
The 8 Largest ETFs On Earth
Consumers sitting on $9 billion in old iPhones
Microsoft's Hotmail phase-out: What's a user to do?

Jobless claims climb 20,000 to 362,000
Fed officials: Don't worry if we lose money
The Consequences of a Strong Dollar
Is Gold Finished? 

Stock Market Blog -Feb 17th

The market edged higher again this week, with the Smalll Cap Rssell 2000 hitting another all time high. This in spite of the Dollar moving higher! So much for that correlation. Gold dropped, approaching the $1600 level.

New all time highs:   ACN, CBS, DIS, GIS, GOOG, JNJ, LNKD, MYL, NWSA, PSX, STZ, TRV, etc.

All time lows: -
Pops: AOL, AVP, BCS, 
Drops:  A, CLF, NVO, RAX, ULTA

Next week: Economic reports  Markets are closed on Monday.
Earnings reports:  HPQ, INTU, WMT,

Market Commentary

 
No change from last week! "The market is very unpredictable here, though the up-trend is still intact. I think the S&P500 may see some more up-side, approaching the all time high. The NASDAQ 100 has been a laggard, but maybe AAPL will give it a boost."
Watch for WMT and HPQ earnings (DOW components).

This week's charts:

Weekly Unemployment claims
S&P 500 ...even higher?
OptionsMakeSense

  Still watching the VIX at these muli-year lows...

Commodities/Futures (charts):
Crude Oil was up then down, closing near $95.75
Natural Gas dropped, closing near $3.14
Gold dropped, closing near $1615
The 30 year Bond dropped, closing near $143.28
The US Dollar was up, closing near 80.71

NEWS:
S&P 500 rises for 7th week in a row
Wal-Mart Executives Sweat Slow February Start in E-Mails
Rich world heads into recession
Why Can’t This Economy Really Get Going?
Secular Bear Market “Hibernation”

U.S. Accuses S. & P. of Fraud in Suit on Loan Bundles
Global Debt Accumulation Reaches Record Levels
Bull Wagers Tumble Most This Year as Gold Bets Drop: Commodities
The Consequences of a Strong Dollar
Soros dumps gold as prices sink

Stock Market Blog -Feb 10th

The market inched higher this week (S&P500), despite a rise in the US Dollar, and a small rise in Bonds. We could be slowly forming a top in this area. European concerns are starting to get the markets attention again. GOOG now hitting all time highs -are they the new AAPL?

The Fed is buying 80% of the Treasury market today...
The debt clock is now approaching $16.5 trillion!

New all time highs:  GIS, GILD, GOOG, HON, JNJ, LNKD, MMM, MPC, OCN, PRI, PSX, and more...
All time lows: -
Pops: APKT, ATVI, LNKD,
Drops:  AKAM, MCO, MHP

Next week: Economic reports  
Earnings reports:  ANF, CSCO, DE, KO, NTAP, PEP, WFM

Market Commentary

 
The market is very unpredictable here, though the up-trend is still intact. I think the S&P500 may see some more up-side, approaching the all time high. The NASDAQ 100 has been a laggard, but maybe AAPL will give it a boost.This week the S&P500 was up, Bonds were up, and the Dollar was up! These normally move in opposite directions, so something has to give soon...

This week's charts:

Weekly Unemployment claims
S&P 500 ...even higher?
OptionsMakeSense

  Still watching the VIX at these low levels -creeping up?

Commodities/Futures (charts):
Crude Oil dropped, closing near $95.72
Natural Gas was little changed, closing near $3.27
Gold was little changed, closing near $1667
The 30 year Bond was up, closing near $143.69
The US Dollar was up, closing near 80.32

NEWS:
Wall Street rises, Nasdaq at 12-year closing high
Dow May Struggle to Outdo Itself as Caution Takes Hold
Trade deficit falls 20.7% in December
Bullish Blizzard

Median Household Incomes: The 'Real' Story
Think the Bond Bull Is Dead—Think Again
Why Bill Gross Says You Should Be Investing in Gold
Dell goes private in $24 billion buyout
Why This Was a Pivotal Week for Europe

Stock Market Blog Feb 3rd

The market continued higher this week in spite of less than stellar economic news. The unemployment rate moved up slightly. The DOW closed over 14000, the S&P hit a 5 year high, and Bonds dropped. All is well again??

New all time highs:  CELG, EXPE, GOOG,GILD, HON, MMM, PG, PSX,
All time lows: -
Pops: CTXS, FTNT, PRGO
Drops:  COP, RIMM, VMW

Next week: Economic reports  
Earnings reports:
Mon -BIDU, EW, GILD, HUM, YUM
Tue -CMG, DIS
Wed -GMCR, V
Thu -SNE
Fri -

Market Commentary

 
So we did close out the month with the S&P500 closing over 1500. Where next? Possibly some more up-side approaching the all time high. The DOW also closed over 14000, a 5 year high. The euphoria will probably get some more folks into the market.

This week's charts:

Weekly Unemployment claims
S&P 500 ...now over 1500
OptionsMakeSense

  Still watching the VIX at these low levels -creeping up?

Commodities/Futures (charts):
Crude Oil was up, closing near $97.77
Natural Gas dropped, closing near $3.30
Gold was up, closing near $1670
The 30 year Bond dropped again, closing near $142.84
The US Dollar dropped again, closing near 79.13

NEWS:
Disturbing Trend In Growth From January Jobs Report
Stunning Bond Collapse Will Be Gold's Gain
The Germans Want Their Gold Reserves Back In Germany