Trick or Treat?!

The Dow may have ended down today, but October as a whole was the strongest month in almost a year. The blue-chip average rose 3.4% for the month, and for the year its up a whopping 13%. So was today a trick or a treat? Both. The 'tricky' economic reports scared investors at the beginning of the day, but trading increased, and we were left with the 'treat' of the Dow continuing to close in the 12000's - and that leaves my sweet tooth happy! Happy Halloween! DJIA: -5.77 Nasdaq: +2.94 S&P 500: +0.01

Hallowed Eve Eve

We have very few children in our neighborhood. Add to that our hectic schedule, and I find myself wondering if we should "do" Halloween. The vote was 2-1 for (I was the one against), so I bought Halloween candy for the trick or treaters. The problem is that we end up eating most of it! Large-caps had the trick today, as Wal Mart's numbers looked tepid. This didn't slow down technology, though. The NASDAQ gained over 1/2%. For a look at some of the scary things being brewed in the tech world, try this link http://money.cnn.com/popups/2006/fortune/scary_tech/index.html. The newspaper business is looking scary these days. Their numbers continue to drop, as more readers turn to the internet. Maybe, bloggers are the ghouls in this story! Dow -3.76 S&P 500 +0.59 NASDAQ +13.15

Friday Sun

It finally stopped raining this morning, and the sun started shining. As I wound my way down a shady street, I noted the effects of Fall. The leaves are changing. There is a touch of coolness in the air. Pumpkins are dotting the landscape, and November is around the corner. Markets cooled off today, as the GDP report showed a slowdown. While this slowdown is notable, company earnings are still looking great. Markets gave back across the board. I had almost forgotten what it's like to be "in the red." Let's hope for a good start on Monday. Dow -73.40 S&P 500 -11.74 NASDAQ -28.48

Thursday and Still Going Strong

Technology was the winner on the day, with Microsoft reporting great earnings. NASDAQ added nearly 1% today, and the word is "This Tech Boom Has Legs." While the old-line large-caps have been leading so far this year, maybe it's technology's turn to steal the show. The Dow and the S&P 500 added to their previous gains. The good news for the whole market is that this increase is being fueled by real, strong earnings, not speculation. Dow +28.98 S&P 500 +6.86 NASDAQ +22.51 (+0.96%)

Low Expectations Bring High Results

The Dow gained another ten points today - yet another unheard-of precedent. Why a gain when tomorrow is the weekly Fed meeting? Investors have low expections for the Fed - they are not expected to raise rates for the fourth time in a row. GM, on the other hand, rose another 2.8% due to high expections of their quarterly earnings report. And Amazon surged a whopping 24% from high revenue. The S&P rose a small 0.35 today, but the Nasdaq ended down, no thanks to low earnings from Texas Instruments. DJIA: +10.97 Nasdaq: -10.72 S&P 500: +0.36