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.
Friday, April 20, 2012
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)
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)
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)
Friday, March 30, 2012
Mavs Best Magic;Market Claims Quarter
The Dallas Mavericks were behind most of Friday night's game at Amway Center in Orlando,but the Orlando Magic's poor ball handling finally caught up with them,yielding a 100-98 victory to the Mavs.Dirk Nowitzki powered the Mavs with his 28 points,while Jameer Nelson and Ryan Anderson topped the Magic's scorecard with 24 and 21 points,respectively.
The Magic committed 16 turnovers in the game,costing them 20 points.
It was completely irrational,but many Americans plunked down cash for the Mega Millions multi-state lottery,which has a payout of more than a half billion dollars.They would have a much better chance playing other,less popular drawings-even the regular state lottery drawings.
The stock market was totally healthy in Q1-its best quarter since 1998,with the S&P 500 Index appreciating a terrific 12%.Many retail investors completely missed out on the rally,as revealed by the persistently anemic volume.On the week,the S&P rose 0.81%,elevated by positive consumer sentiment and spending growth.
Next week will be backloaded by the Labor Department's unemployment report released on Good Friday.Eastern Orthodox Holy Friday will be a week later.The S&P futures climbed to a 5.00 gain on Friday evening,while bond index futures receded.
The Magic committed 16 turnovers in the game,costing them 20 points.
It was completely irrational,but many Americans plunked down cash for the Mega Millions multi-state lottery,which has a payout of more than a half billion dollars.They would have a much better chance playing other,less popular drawings-even the regular state lottery drawings.
The stock market was totally healthy in Q1-its best quarter since 1998,with the S&P 500 Index appreciating a terrific 12%.Many retail investors completely missed out on the rally,as revealed by the persistently anemic volume.On the week,the S&P rose 0.81%,elevated by positive consumer sentiment and spending growth.
Next week will be backloaded by the Labor Department's unemployment report released on Good Friday.Eastern Orthodox Holy Friday will be a week later.The S&P futures climbed to a 5.00 gain on Friday evening,while bond index futures receded.
Friday, March 23, 2012
NCAA:Ohio Almost Prevails;So Too the Market
The Ohio Bobcats almost dealt the North Carolina Tarheels' hopes a fatal blow Friday night at the NCAA Midwest Region semifinals in St.Louis.Walter Offut could have scored a 3-point shot to win the game for Ohio,but,in the end,he missed and the Bobcats had to settle for a 2-point that sent the game into overtime.
This put a great burden on the Bobcats and they were unable to deliver,already tired by the effort needed to match the #1 Tar Heels.North Carolina won 73-65,led by Tyler Zeller and his hefty 20-point,22-rebound performance.
Disappointing home sales figures,as well as concern over slower Chinese and European growth,held the stock market back this week.The S&P 500 Index slid 0.50% on the week,although still up a strong 11.09% on the year.Next week will see few reports.Durable goods orders and personal income and spending numbers will be evaluated.On Friday evening,the S&P futures climbed a modest 5.20,and bond index futures also made an ascent.
Update:North Carolina will play Kansas on Sunday at 5:05 pm Eastern on CBS.
This put a great burden on the Bobcats and they were unable to deliver,already tired by the effort needed to match the #1 Tar Heels.North Carolina won 73-65,led by Tyler Zeller and his hefty 20-point,22-rebound performance.
Disappointing home sales figures,as well as concern over slower Chinese and European growth,held the stock market back this week.The S&P 500 Index slid 0.50% on the week,although still up a strong 11.09% on the year.Next week will see few reports.Durable goods orders and personal income and spending numbers will be evaluated.On Friday evening,the S&P futures climbed a modest 5.20,and bond index futures also made an ascent.
Update:North Carolina will play Kansas on Sunday at 5:05 pm Eastern on CBS.
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