THe Halfway Point

THe Halfway Point

Friends The final trading session of the quarter was similar to many of the other trading sessions of the quarter- mostly quiet and calm. Stocks spent most of the session in negative territory, but it seemed likely attributable to the lack of desire by traders to make...

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THe Halfway Point

Coasting Into Month-End

Friends We did see a little more volatility this week, but today was mostly uneventful. Stocks spent most of the day in negative territory, only to rally a little into the close. By the close, the Dow Jones Industrial Average was up 5 points to finish the day at...

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THe Halfway Point

A Little More Volatility This Week

Friends Despite a benign jobless claims number and an OK Personal Income and Outlay report, the bears got the upper hand in early trading and stocks tumbled 80 Dow points as the session began. But while the bears were watching the U.S. lose to Germany in the World Cup...

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THe Halfway Point

Stocks Rally Despite GDP Shocker

Friends Today we got the final revision of first quarter GDP and let’s just be thankful that it’s the final revision. What at first glance appeared to be a negative 1% first quarter turned into an almost negative 3% quarter with this latest revision. Let’s just all...

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THe Halfway Point

Quiet Drift

Friends Wow, what a quiet day of trading. Stocks just drifted throughout the session. On the economic front, the weekly jobless claims number broke the 300,000 level, as only 284,000 new claims were made. The PMI Manufacturing Index slowed a bit, but was still strong,...

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THe Halfway Point

A Genuine Down Day

Friends Stocks were drifting along this morning, quietly minding their own business when all of a sudden, around midday, the bears came out of hibernation. The reason for the pullback was attributed to more bad headlines out of Iraq which include bombing from Syrian...

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THe Halfway Point

Busy Data Week

Friends Stocks did actually suffer a down day today. Ok, it wasn’t much and there was very little volume or volatility, but stocks did actually spend most of the session in negative territory. All three of the economic data points were positive today. Existing home...

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THe Halfway Point

Let’s Talk

Friends Stocks will never go down again, ever. Ok, I am just kidding, of course, but as market participants (portfolio managers, pension funds, individuals etc.) sit around “waiting for the next explosion” (a nod to Jimmy Buffett), stocks continue to climb “higher and...

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THe Halfway Point

Back To Quiet

Friends In the aftermath of the Fed statement and Ms. Yellen’s Q&A, traders seemed somewhat uninterested throughout the session today, as stocks spent most of the day in negative territory only to climb into the black right before the close. The President spoke...

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THe Halfway Point

“Noisy” & “It Depends”

Friends Traders seemed relieved that the FOMC minutes and the subsequent Q &A with Fed Chair Yellen produced no real surprises. The taper of QE continues and interest rates will remain at zero for some time. Ms. Yellen didn’t seem all that concerned about...

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THe Halfway Point

Stocks Drift Higher Into Fed Meeting

Friends Stocks drifted higher during the trading session while market participants wait for the results of the two day FOMC meeting. It seems unlikely that anything drastic would come from the meeting, but traders will keep an eye on Ms. Yellen’s press conference...

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THe Halfway Point

Markets Hit Pause Button

Friends Traders continue to be a little skittish about taking new positions while the Iraqi situation unfolds. In addition we are waiting on the results of a two day FOMC meeting which begins tomorrow. The result was another very quiet day of trading with little...

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THe Halfway Point

Quiet End To The Week

Friends Despite continued concern over the situation in Iraq, stocks managed to post small gains for the session as the week came to a close. On the economic front the PPI number was very benign and consumer sentiment came in a little more negative than expected....

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THe Halfway Point

Stocks Down on Iraq/Oil

Friends Stocks suffered a second day of losses as worries over the deteriorating situation in Iraq sent oil prices soaring and caused stock traders to hit the sell button. Once again, volume was very light, but stocks did spend the entire day in negative territory. As...

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THe Halfway Point

Yes, Stock Prices Can Fall

Friends We had a little more action today-unfortunately, it was to the downside. Perhaps fueled by the shocking loss in the Republican Primary that House Majority Leader Eric Cantor suffered, traders seemed in a grouchy mood today. Stocks fell from the start and...

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