Daily State of the Markets

Buckle Up, This Will Be Interesting

Good Monday morning and welcome back to the land of blinking screens. I hope you are buckled in as we've got a big week for the markets coming. So, before we review the state of the market models, let's take a look at what might shape the markets this week. The news flow actually …

A Re-Risking Phase?

Don't look now fans, but it appears that the mood of the market has changed. Gone is the fear of the next ultra-violent freak-out over this or that. Gone is the worry that the good economic times won't/can't last. And gone is the expectation that the next move lower will be "the one" that…

A New Era For Stock Market Valuations?

I've been saying for some time now that I believe the current corrective/consolidation phase will ultimately be resolved to the upside. Or put another way, I don't think we're seeing the beginning of the next big, bad bear market. This is not to say that the latter couldn't occur …

Goldilocks Remains In The House, But...

Good Monday morning and welcome back. Markets around the globe appear to be following Wall Street's lead in celebrating Friday's better-than expected Jobs report. A report that fit nicely in the Goldilocks category as far as the stock market is concerned. While the mood may prove …

Jobs Report Suggests Growth Story Intact

It's the first Friday of the month, which means it is time for the Big Kahuna of economic data - the jobs report. So, without further ado, let's get to the report and review the bevy of numbers. The headline everyone focuses on new job creation for the month. So, let's get right t…

The Big Reason Not To Be Negative Here

In my humble opinion, one of the keys to success in the investing business is the ability to remain both objective and flexible. Early in my career, I would occasionally "fall in love" with my positions, largely due to the fact that those positions had proved successful. In short, I didn'…

Is "Italeave" The Next Problem?

Well, that was interesting. I don't know about you, but I had a pretty severe case of déjà vu yesterday as the global markets freaked out over the potential for an "Italeave." We've definitely seen this movie before as the European banking crisis dominated the markets from 2…

Time To Dust Off The Euro-Crisis Playbook?

Good morning and welcome back. One of the great things about taking some time away from the keyboard and your daily routine is it gives you time to reflect on the big picture stuff as well as what you are doing on a daily basis. On the latter, I've decided to try and make my weekly indica…

Indicators Suggest Conflicted Environment Remains Intact

Greetings from Seville, Spain, home of the Alacazar - a royal palace built in the 8th century. This is my first trip to Spain and I have to say that I am very impressed. Although I can barely count to 10 in Spanish, I am finding the people to be very friendly and helpful, breathtaking sig…

Is It Time For Investors To Exhale?

As I have mentioned a time or two lately, I have been trying not to write on Friday's. However, I must admit that I'm feeling a small (emphasis on the word, small) amount of guilt over the idea of heading to Spain/Portugal for the next two weeks. So, I'm going to go ahead and pen one more…