Friday Morning

Summertime, and the jobs have dried up. Just when I need to get my offspring employed! Last month only produced 78,000 new jobs, down significantly from the previous month. Despite this, the unemployment rate fell to 5.1%. I guess some people have decided to take the summer off. The news sent markets lower by 1/3 to 1/2 of a percent. While car manufacturers are suffering, some hospitals are taking a page from Toyota's business model to improve their bottom lines. It's an interesting concept. Follow the link to read the full article.

Almost Friday

Markets are holding nicely for the first week of June. The blue-chips were flat as the Dow only gained 3.62 points and the S&P 500 was up 2.07 points, but they WERE up. As for the NASDAQ, it gained a healthy 1/2 of a percent, picking up 9.94 points on the day. Yesterday, the New York Stock Exchange had a bit of a computer glitch, which shut down trading 4 minutes early. Not to worry, they've fixed the problem. Gotta love those computers!

Thursday's Update

It's a mixed bag this morning, with the Dow down about 24 points but NASDAQ up a point. Sun Microsystems is taking over Storage Technologies, and this will help improve Sun's tenuous position. A new SEC chairman has been appointed by the President. Finally, on the retail front, luxury retailers continue to do well, a sign of more good times ahead.

Closing Bell

It was a good mid-week for the market as all indices posted gains close to 1%. Dow +81.58 NASDAQ +19.64 S&P 500 +10.72 The Wall Street Journal reported on an innovative way for states to generate revenue. Check out botox. It will make you think twice about that nose job!

Half-Way Mark

It's Wednesday in a short week, so we're half-way through trading. Markets have more than made up for yesterday's slip, with the Dow gaining over 85 points and NASDAQ up almost 1%, gaining more than 19 points. A new report issued this morning shows pricing pressures are down, meaning big, bad inflation may be in check. This is good news for stocks, because it means the Federal Reserve will be slow to raise rates. If you're looking for higher bond yields, you may not get your wish as soon as you hoped, but, for stock investors, continued low rates means increased earnings. Sorry, but you can't have it both ways!