CANCEL CHRISTMAS

Pray for the citizens of Newtown, Connecticut, who have experienced what no parent ever should.   Pray for the vulnerable whom have no one to protect them.  Pray for this country to find some meaning in this tragedy. [Read more…]

PROGRESS OR CONGRESS?

 Four more weeks of careening from crisis to crisis and then we can kiss 2012 goodbye.  But that still leaves plenty of time for a crash of major proportions. [Read more…]

SHOCK WAVES

The Presidential Election was supposed to end all the “uncertainty” that held back business investment and the economy.  Instead, one uncertainty was replaced with many more.   [Read more…]

THE CALM BEFORE THE STORM?

Markets appear to be in a stall, primed for a breakout but, which way?  Equities are caught between conflicting economic outlooks; gold is stuck in a $400 point trading range and the ten-year Treasury note remains under 2%.  What gives?  [Read more…]

WHAT HAPPENED TO SEPTEMBER?

Where did the month go?  And what happened to the typical September swoon?  To paraphrase Frank Sinatra, “it was a very good month”. [Read more…]

THE BARBELL ECONOMY

In statistics classes, students are taught about the “bell shaped curve”, the pattern that forms when quantitative data are distributed normally.  Recent census data reveals a barbell-shaped curve; heavy on the ends with very little in between. [Read more…]

BACK TO WORK

It’s Labor Day, the unofficial end of summer and the official start of school.  College football kicks off and the NFL start is just around the corner.  It’s time for everyone to get serious and get back to work. [Read more…]

AGAINST ALL ODDS

U.S. equity markets have managed, against all odds, to put together a five-week winning streak, despite the headwinds to the economy.  In the absence of compelling data, can stocks continue to rally? [Read more…]

HALF-TIME REPORT

Those who sold in May and went away may want to come back a little sooner than St. Leger’s Day.  After two losing months, stocks roared back in June, posting incredible numbers and closing out the second quarter with sharp gains on strong volume. [Read more…]

SELL IN MAY?

The Big Picture

It’s one of the oldest market clichés; “Sell in May and go away, come again St. Leger’s day”, one that is often quoted because it’s works – sometimes.  Will this be one of those times? [Read more…]