Monday--Month-End

Today, U.S. investors ran from risk on the final day of trading of the month, unloading stocks and commodities following a big stock market selloff in China. However, despite those losses, the stocks finished August ahead of where they started. Also, the Dow had the best performance for August since 2000. Even though today was flat, things are looking up overall! DJIA -47.92 S&P 500 -8.31 NASDAQ -19.71

Thursday

Today, stocks did turn positive as decent demand for 7 year Treasury notes lifted sentiment. Thursday marked the 8th straight day of gains. We haven't seen a streak like this since April 10, 2007. Earlier today, stocks were in the red and weighed down by the energy sector because of a drop in oil futures. We managed to eke out some tiny gains because of a rally in Boeing. Boeing increased 8.4% today on news that they would launch the 787 before the end of the year. So, as we can see, today was a fairly good day in the markets. DJIA +37.11 S&P 500 +2.86 NASDAQ +3.30

Wednesday

Today, stocks inched higher on a report of rising new home sales and better-than-expected durable-goods orders failed to excite investors. The markets waivered between slight gains and losses the whole day. Today was the seventh straight day of gains but barely so. The losers consisted of industrials like 3M and financials like JP Morgan Chase. This is all for today. We shall see what tomorrow brings! DJIA +4.23 S&P 500 +.12 NASDAQ +.20

Terrific Tuesday

Today, stocks reached another round of new highs for 2009, as strong readings on home prices and consumer confidence lifted the market while a decline in oil prices weighed on energy stocks. The day opened sharply higher on a series of economic reports, with market participants also watching the nomination of Ben Bernanke for a second term. The market was in retreat after a deep slide in oil prices damped the energy sector, as I noted before. Setting off the gains is the news that home prices rose in the second quarter for the first time in three years with a second-straight monthly increase in June. We have seen a fantastic day in the markets! DJIA +30.01 S&P 500 +2.43 NASDAQ +6.25

Monday

Today began moving between slight gains and small losses. This was helped by solid gains for the energy sector. However, consumer stock traders were advised to be cautious because of a series of economic reports that are due out this week. The point of contingency for consumer stocks will be those reports and how they look. We hope for the best! DJIA +3.32 S&P 500 -.56 NASDAQ -2.92

Fabulous Friday

Today was a fantastic day in the markets! Yesterday was good, but today was just the icing on the cake for a good week. We saw existing-home sales rise a surprising 7.2%. This, of course, was the major driver of the rally today. DJIA +155.91 S&P 500 +18.76 NASDAQ +31.68

Wednesday's Scoop

Today we began the day low. However, we saw the markets turn around from that. The markets were reversed on the report of sliding oil inventories and caused a sharp rally in energy stocks. We saw Chevron up 1.8%, and Exxon up 2.3%. The drug company, Merck, was up 2.5% today after the judge upheld their patent on the blockbuster allergy medication, Singulair. We are seeing more confidence being placed in the markets! DJIA +61.22 S&P 500 +6.79 NASDAQ +13.32

Tuesday

Today we saw some upbeat in bank stocks and favorable earnings reports from retailers that helped the market stage a partial rebound! Several big companies helped the markets today, as well. We saw a 3.1% rise in Home Depot which was from a smaller-than-expected decline in earnings. We also caught wind that American Express, Target, and Saks had a smaller decline in profits. Investors are saying that consumer sentiment is really not as bad as we have been hearing. Today continues to give me hope! DJIA +82.6 S&P 500 +9.94 NASDAQ +25.08

Monday Blues

Stocks suffered a broad decline today as fear spread around the globe that an economic rebound is possibly further away than previously thought. Signs of this decline were shown last week when weak sales data and poor earnings from major chain stores began to diminish investors' confidence in the market. Today's major losers were basic-materials stocks. Today was the biggest one-day loss since July 2. I feel like tomorrow might be a better day! We have sent out a recent newsletter last week. So, be watching for those in the mail! DJIA -186.06 S&P 500 -24.36 NASDAQ -54.68

Fantastic Friday

The job loss report that investors were worried about is not as bad as expected. The stock market performed very well today because of a better-than-expected job report. So well, in fact, that President Obama announced that we may be survived the worst of the recession! Stocks rose today to the highest levels since November after having boosted sentiment. Ultimately, we are continuing to find evidence that the economy is rebounding, and today's markets are a good sign of that! DJIA +113.81 S&P 500 +13.4 NASDAQ +27.09

Thursday

The markets fell today as investors are bracing themselves for a critical jobs report coming out tomorrow and the rally in the financial sector has dwindled out. We also saw Proctor & Gamble fall 4.6% today. From this, investors are worried about its sales outlook and are questioning its pricing strategy. We are also seeing the retailers' sales are sluggish. Last month, sales fell by the second sharpest amount of the year because consumers are becoming tight-wads! DJIA -24.71 S&P 500 -5.64 NASDAQ -19.89

Wednesday Blues

Today we saw a slip in the markets. We broke our four-day gaining pattern. Traders' hopes for a rapid economic recovery were busted today after reports were issued. On a positive note, the financial sector rallied today with sharp gains for some very beaten companies. News came out the in the private sector, there were approximately 371,000 jobs shed last month. We can also attribute our fall today to the losses in several economic-sensitive sectors like industry, consumer stocks, and technology. Tomorrow is a new day. DJIA -39.22 S&P 500 -2.93 NASDAQ -18.26

Monday's Results

Today was a really good day in our markets. We saw the highest levels since November on our indices. This can be contributed to several different things. The rally is due to strong bank profits and hopes for rising demand in raw materials. Also, it was helped by solid gains in all of its commodity-producing components. We were also being steered by strong earnings from United Kingdom banks HSBC and Barclays as well as better-than-expected readings on industrial activity in China, Britain, and the United States. Locally, we do not know the numbers yet, but the sales tax holiday seemed to really be a hit! I went out on Saturday, and it was nuts with all of the people out and about! It felt really good to see people going out and spending their money on local retailers. DJIA +114.95 S&P 500 +15.15 NASDAQ +30.11