A Sad Anniversary

As I watched my morning news show, it all came back. The shock, the horror. Five years feels like yesterday. I can't imagine what it feels like for those family members. Financial markets closed on that day and didn't open until a week later. In many ways, the world is a different one today than it was before that September morning. In other ways, things are still the same. We still function the same in business and finance, but we understand the need to be watchful. Oil fell below $65 a barrel today, and I was reminded of our need to cut ties to the Middle East. All indexes posted positive gains today... there's your sign! Dow +4.73 NASDAQ +7.46 S&P 500 +0.62

Friday Bump

All green today, as oil dropped even further. Per barrel, it's in the $66 range. That takes us back to the Spring. While homebuilders and homesellers still cry the blues, the market responded well to other news. Microsoft keeps promising a new operating system-- Vista, but they keep delaying the rollout. The thought of it makes me want to switch to a MAC! Stocks gained about 1/2% across the board. Dow +60.67 NASDAQ +10.50 S&P 500 +4.90

Location Location Location

It's back to the housing market. Builders are not very optimistic about the real estate market going forward. No wonder. Inventory levels are such that many builders are finding themselves in competition with houses they built 6 months ago. While real estate is taking it on the chin, some economists expect business spending to pick up and fill in the gap. That would be positive for the big tech stocks. Wal Mart has announced plans to change their business model. No longer will every store carry the same items. They will be specialized, based on the local market. Wal Mart plans to build models based on 6 groups. One of those groups is "the affluent." Whoa! Cheap goods for rich people! Lower prices in real estate sent all indexes for cover. Dow -74.76 NASDAQ -12.55 S&P 500 -6.24

A Really Short Week

OK, so I missed yesterday. I was back at work, but I was making up for that glorious 3 day weekend. Labor day week came with news about labor costs and production. We're not producing as much and we're costing companies more. All this weighed on stocks today, as all indexes dipped. This, despite, ever lower oil prices ($67.50 per barrel). I'm thrilled to see the prices at the pump dropping. The weather is helping, too, with little concern on the tropical side. Could this be our lucky year? Maybe, I should say that VERY quietly. I could be tempting fate! Intel and its job layoffs are still holding back the NASDAQ. Dow -63.08 NASDAQ -37.86 S&P 500 -13.00

First of September

It's September 1st, and the temps have finally cooled off in the Deep South. This is the first week of college football, and it feels like it, for a change. While the air cooled off, Wall Street heated up today. Unemployment numbers fell to a low of 4.7%! Can they go any lower? Of course, now we'll be concerned about wage pressures and possible inflation. GM even posted good news on their sales, but don't expect this to last. All indexes were higher, with the Dow taking the prize, up more than 0.7%. Enjoy your Labor Day weekend. Dow +83.00 NASDAQ +9.41 S&P 500 +7.19