Friday, April 27, 2012

A Blustery Day:Looking For Enterprise

I took up a position along the Pennsylvania-Maryland border,looking for the space shuttle Enterprise to possibly fly over on the way to New York.It was a cool,blustery day.After some weeks of heat,it had become below normal.That alone made it worthwhile to stay outdoors for a while. A man mowing his lawn may have thought I was crazy with my lawn chair and binoculars.I was crazy for history and I needed more fresh air in my lungs,sir.In the end,I didn't sit very much.I walked around watching all the jet aircraft.Most of them headed west,and a few south.No one was going north like the Shuttle Carrier Aircraft and its august passenger,the flight test space shuttle Enterprise. It was a memorable time anyway.It's good to be bonkers about something constructive like exploring the heavens.

Shuttle Enterprise arrives in NYC - New York News | New York Breaking News | NYC Headlines

Shuttle Enterprise arrives in NYC - New York News | New York Breaking News | NYC Headlines

Friday, April 13, 2012

Market Corrects Some More;Braves Over Brewers

The stock market continued to correct excessive enthusiasm as the S&P 500 Index fell 1.99% on the week.On the year,the S&P has gained 8.96%.Major concerns included a slight slowdown in China;a drop in consumer sentiment at home;and an uptick in worry over Spanish financial news.
Major League Baseball is well underway now.On Friday night,there were some high scoring contests,such as the Atlanta Braves beating the Milwaukee Brewers at Turner Field in Atlanta by a 10-8 margin.The Braves were led by catcher Brian McCann and his two home runs.In another big score game,Boston downed Tampa Bay 12-10 at the Fenway Park opener in Boston.
Next week will see a lot of economic data and major earnings reports crossing traders' desks.Among important considerations will be the Empire State and Philly Fed manufacturing reports;Leading Economic Indicators;existing home sales and retail sales;and earnings from Citigroup;General Electric;IBM;and McDonalds.
Citigroup(C),General Electric(GE),International Business Machines(IBM),McDonalds(MCD)

Friday, April 6, 2012

Mickelson Moves Up;Market Slips

Stocks suffered their worst fall of the year this week,with the S&P 500 Index dropping 0.74% on fears about Spain's debt problem and the Federal Reserve's reluctance to provide further aid to the market.For the year,however,the S&P is still up an impressive 11.17%.
The CBOE VIX Volatility Index rose 7.74% on the week.
At The Masters golf tournament in Augusta,Georgia,Phil Mickelson,41,continued to progress,shooting a second round two under par 68 after Thursday's initial struggles had yielded only a 74.Mickelson's round was second only to 52 year-old Fred Couples' 67.Couples and Jason Dufner shared the top of the leaderboard at five under heading into Easter weekend.
Tiger Woods cursed as he shot a poor second round 75 at the majestic Augusta National course famous for its pine trees.It is the first of the year's four major tournaments.
The S&P futures fell a modest 3.48 on Friday in response to the Labor Department's disappointing employment report showing a March jobs gain well below expectations.Bond index futures rose in price.
Next week,earnings season gets underway with Alcoa reporting its Q1 results.
Alcoa(AA)