Ben Bernanke & Co. delivered QE3 yesterday by announcing a plan to purchase mortgage backed securities (mortgages) for at least the next two months at roughly $40 billion per month. And the markets were delighted! The best analogy I can offer is that the markets are like crack addicts now and need their steady and regular fix of stimulus. As time goes on, a drug addict usually needs more and more drugs and that’s exactly how the markets are behaving. […]
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Markets breathed a collective sigh of relief after the German courts ruled “favorably”, allowing the European bailouts to continue. Apple unveiled its latest iPhone as the stock sits near all time highs. Both events did not inspire the markets to do much other than digest as they awaited the Fed’s 12:30pm announcement on Thursday. By the end of the week, the markets will have digested the ECB’s latest pledge to buy European debt in a HUGE way, Apple’s new phone, […]
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Here is the piece I did last Friday after the putrid jobs report. While the headline number may have indicated an increase of almost 100,000 net new jobs, the underlying data was awful. Additionally, while the unemployment rate may have fallen to 8.1% from 8.3%, it was primarily due to people leaving the workforce than people being hired. We already know that Bernanke & Co. are close to another round of money printing (QE) and this will likely push them […]
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The latest Street$marts is here… http://www.investfortomorrow.com/newsletter/CurrentStreet$marts20120905.pdf
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I am scheduled to be on FOX Business’ Markets Now at 1:30pm today discussing the historically low volatility in the markets as well as the roadmap to the election. If you looked for me on CNBC last Friday, Labor Day traffic was off the charts, deeming it impossible to get to the station on time. This week, I will be posting the two Yahoo Finance segments I did last week along with a new Street$marts issue. Several cracks in the pavement […]
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It’s been a while since I mentioned Apple, but the action of late deserves comment. After peaking in April with the broad market, the stock declined into May with the broad market. But when stocks declined further into early June, Apple did not follow suit by making a new low. Rather, it formed a higher low than it saw in May and that was the first clue that it was ready to rally again. This week, Apple made an all […]
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It seems like the markets, investors and media have been waiting forever for Ben Bernanke to give his annual speech from the Fed’s retreat in Jackson Hole WY. Lots of initial expectations have faded into much ado about nothing. I like that the stock market is showing weakness into the speech. That leaves ammunition for a potential move higher next week. Today’s decline was very orderly and began to restore a little worry in the markets. We don’t need all […]
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Unlike the summers of 2011, 2010, 2009, 2008, 2007 and 2006, the summer of 2012 has been very, very quiet. Volatility is at an historically low level. Volatility contraction leads to expansion and vice-versa. At some point, we are going to see a spike in volatility and that will shock the system. Later this week, Ben Bernanke will make his annual speech from the Fed’s retreat in Jackson Hole WY on Friday at 10:00am. While everyone will be on the […]
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New Street$marts is out chock full of tidbits with Paul Ryan, the Fed, ECB and stocks on their way to new 2012 highs! http://www.investfortomorrow.com/newsletter/CurrentStreet$marts20120816.pdf
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Following up from the Street$marts issue I published today (link to follow here on Friday), the bulls are stepping up here on the Dow, S&P 500 and NASDAQ 100, closing the day within striking distance of new highs for 2012. I expect that to occur over the coming days. Once that is achieved, I do not anticipate a blow off to the upside. Rather, I think the stock market will be within a few percent of peaking. Flies in the ointment […]
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