The Dow Jones Industrial Average posted another surprising upward move today ending the day over 12,000 points – up another 4.2% (or 490 points.)  When you look at what’s going on in the world right now, such a bold Dow move can seem hard to fathom.  But when you get to the bottom of it...Read More

The DJIA is up strongly today (+422 points as of 10.30am) on nothing short of a pipedream. THESE ARE GREAT MARKETS TO SELL INTO — DETAILS AT 11 ( OR THEREABOUTS).Read More

The Dow Jones Industrial Average surged yesterday on rumors that European officials are getting closer to a debt deal. The Dow ended yesterday up 291 points or 2.6%. The above-average 15-51 strength Indicator rose 3.3% on the same grounds. And in early trading today both were in positive triple-digit territory again. Is this new European effort really cause for...Read More

Market conditions have been hostile for a long time. This is acutely evident by recent stock market volatility. Yesterday there was a valuation stalemate. Today was another triple-digit loss (the Dow ended 200+ points down). While it’s the same old story retold, look at these ugly Wall Street Journal headlines: Spending Slowed in October (by Eric Morath and Tom Barkley) Nokia Siemens to...Read More

US stocks remained relatively unchanged today amid a day of mixed news. The U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis revised third quarter 2011 GDP down to 2% (off 20% from its original 2.5% estimate.) Revisions happen regularly. Here’s the revised GDP growth for the year thus far. Quarter            Growth 1Q ’11              .4% 2Q ’11             1.3% 3Q ’11             2.0% Average           1.2%...Read More

The Dow Jones Industrial Average fell 248 points (2.1%) today, and with it all of its gains for the year. The 15-51 strength indicator ended down 1.4% for the day but remained up 6% for the year. Here’s the year-to-date chart comparison.     Today was the same old story: Europe is a financial disaster and America is right...Read More

I was drawn to two specific Wall Street Journal articles today:            * Did ‘Volatility Funds’ Deliver? (Ben Levisohn)            * Morgan Stanley Settles SEC Case (Brett Philbin and Ben Fox Rubin) Some cable news pundits can’t get enough of the VIX, the Chicago Board of Trade’s Volatility Index.  They call it the “fear index.”  But what...Read More

I walked into a meeting today with a couple of brokers and their first words to me were, “Wow, Dan – all dressed up today.” I smiled and nodded my head. Truth be told, I’m a notoriously causal dresser. But today was different. Today was my first personal encounter with the Wall Street establishment since publishing LOSE YOUR BROKER...Read More

“The market” rebounded today by posting a 112 point gain after yesterday’s 389 point slide.  If I were a gambling man, which I’m not, I would have bet it would have dropped another 125 points today.  My friend Bobby had his money on a 60 point gain.  (Yeah I wrote the book – but he...Read More

Even though I’ve been blogging for just a couple of months it’s hard to believe how many times I could title today’s blog what I named one just a few days ago.   Today a story headlined on the Wall Street Journal’s website entitled: HSBC Hurt by Bad Loans – and to me, it’s like déjà vu all over...Read More