Stocks Now Trading Lower

Stocks have given back all of their profits and then some throughout the trading day.  Weaker than expected ISM manufacturing numbers have been blamed.  When you are flying high in the atmosphere, all the bumps get magnified.  The real story will begin to be told on Monday when volume should return to normal.

Lessons I learned from my dad

I just spent 3 days with my dad in Phoenix.  He is now 81 years of age.  My visit caused me to reflect on things he taught me.  I thought I would share some of his teachings with you:

It's not a man's stuff that matters, it's his stuffing

Just because something costs more, doesn't make it better

When you are late for an appointment, you are at a total disadvantage

The older you get, the faster time moves

You can outwork people to the top, because they will quit

When you are not working on your craft, someone else is and flying past you

Plan ahead for a rainy day because you never know when the clouds will appear

Money spent is gone forever.  Money invested turns into more money

Let your kids earn their rewards because that's how the real world works

It's okay for a man to cry

Love people while you still have the opportunity, no one lasts forever

There are few things worse in life than a liar

As you approach the end of life, do it with grace, dignity, and gratitude

The time you spend in the company of your children is time well spent indeed

Thanks, Dad!  Now for a tissue…...

Markets Have Calmed

It appears that the markets have calmed down for the moment.  The Dow and S&P 500 are up slightly, while the Nasdaq is lagging a bit.  This is to be expected after the meteoric rise the last two days.  A bit of stabilization would be healthy for the marketplace.

This Is More Like It

Markets providing a nice follow through. All indices are up over 1%. Great start to the trading day.

Strong Finish Gives Hope For Tomorrow

We had a nice strong finish to the market today.  Hopefully, we get follow through tomorrow.

Futures Point Higher

Stock futures point higher in anticipation of the Fed minutes that come out at 2:00 pm this afternoon.  With oil dropping further and Europe down, I'm not sure if the gains will hold.

Markets Were Down, Then Way Up, Now Moderately Higher

U.S. stocks jumped after a lack luster open today, erasing sharp losses as the price of oil reversed higher and as investors considered generally healthy indicators on the U.S. economy against global concerns.

After falling to lows not seen since the spring of 2009, crude futures for January delivery, on Tuesday fell to a low of $53.60 a barrel, then shoot up $1.24 to a high of $57.15 a barrel, and were lately up 16 cents, or 3 percent, to $56.07 a barrel.

New home construction in the U.S. topped a million on an annualized rate in November, while housing starts fell 1.6 percent and building permits declined 5.2 percent last month.
An industry report on Tuesday had the U.S. manufacturing sector continuing to expand in December but its growth rate at an 11-year low.

Equities around the globe had declined as Russia vowed further action to stabilize its markets after an unexpected interest rate hike and a measure of factory activity in China dropped to a seven-month low in December.

The Dow is currently up 118.

The S&P 500 has advanced 11.

Nasdaq is up 7.5 points.

It's critical to market direction that the head of steam that was built this morning does not dissipate this afternoon. I'll be watching.