Markets Up on Greek Deal Hopes

Well, that headline is not a joke. Surely, nobody on Wall Street has ever heard the phrase, "beware Greeks bearing gifts," though by tomorrow, everyone will know whether the second bailout of Greece - with a third coming by the end of August, almost certainly - will be a bonus or a canard.

The issues facing the Greek government are the roll-over of some $10 billion in maturing debt, plus another $40 billion in August. Right now, the deal is on, if Greek prime minister, George Papandreou, receives a vote of confidence from the Greek parliament, in a vote scheduled at the stroke of midnight in Greece (5:00 pm EDT).

Papandreou looked to have enough votes to win the crucial vote of confidence in parliament which would pave the way to passage of the latest austerity measures next week, ensuring a $12 billion advance from the ECB and the IMF.

With time winding down on the vote, crowds were beginning to form in Syntagma Square, directly across from the Parliament building. A vote of no confidence would be seen as a victory for the Greek populace, and if Papandreou does get the needed votes, rioting and confrontation are a near-certainty, as much of the population would like to detach Greece from the EU, return to the drachma and move on. (We will post an update of the vote as soon as it is confirmed.)

Elsewhere, investors looked past more horrifying housing numbers, as existing home sales in May fell by 3.8% from April and are down 15.3% from the same time last year, according to the report released by the National Association of Realtors (NAR).

So, once again, Wall Street demonstrated just how far detached from Main Street it really is, a chasm that only seems to keep widening.

Dow 12,190.01, +109.63 (0.91%)
NASDAQ 2,687.26, +57.60 (2.19%)
S&P 500 1,295.52, +17.16 (1.34%)
NYSE Composite 8,156.27, +124.05 (1.54%)

Advancing issues defeated decliners, 5430-1205. On the NASDAQ, there were 55 new highs and 32 new lows. The NYSE registered 68 new highs and 25 new lows, effectively ending the 12-day stretch in which the lows held the advantage with the combined numbers at 123 new highs and 57 new lows. What a difference a Greek makes!

Volume on the day was marginally better than on Monday, which is saying very little.

NASDAQ Volume 1,825,893,375
NYSE Volume 3,913,965,750

WTI crude futures edged up 14 cents, to $93.40. Gold added $6.30, to $1546.80 and silver was up 37 cents to $36.43. The moves in precious metals reflected the uncertainty of global economic conditions.

Tomorrow the Federal Reverse Open Market Committee will issue another one of the periodic edicts, keeping interest rates at near ZERO, and, presumably, will include the words, "extended period" for how long they believe it will be before they actually raise rates one iota.

The Fed is stuck in no-man's land, with a stumbling, structurally-impaired domestic economy and the threat of inflation due to a falling dollar. Thus far, the Fed has taken the easy route of monetary stimulation, throwing trillions into a stagnant economy, and that's likely to be their choice for many months, if not years, to come.

In reality, Greece is a side-show.

Seriously, a Rebound? No Volume, and Slim Gains

It's almost summer, so stocks and the people who trade them aren't going to take much of anything too seriously. It's a good thing that the American culture is as laid-back as it is, because if people watched their money, markets and politicians with reasoned discipline, we'd all be in the soup - or soup lines.

Being that the weather's more suited for surfing than high finance, Wall Street put on its best summery smile today and boosted stocks for no particular reason other than there wasn't any disturbing economic news from Greece, or Washington, or anywhere else for that matter.

It's these kinds of days that Wall Street could use a steady diet of to produce what will be called a "summer rally" despite the Fed cutting off funds via the end of QE2, and Greece more likely than not to default. Whatever Greece decides to do about their fiscal and monetary condition, it will have far-reaching effects, mostly on European banks, but surely some spill-over will do damage on American shores. Everyone's in for a piece of the action, and haircuts for the bond-holders seems to be the likely outcome, though the EU and IMF ministers would much rather lay it all on the backs of the Greek people, through austerity, budget cuts and a wrecked economy.

However, since nobody took any decisive action today, it was safe to make a few bets in the cavernous casino that is Wall Street. Besides, after six losing weeks, the markets were set up for a technical bounce, in other words, more suckers got taken today.

Dow 12,080.38, +76.02 (0.63%)
NASDAQ 2,629.66, +13.18 (0.50%)
S&P 500 1,278.36, +6.86 (0.54%)
NYSE Composite 8,032.22, +32.11 (0.40%)

While the gains weren't much to speak of, neither was the breadth. Winners beat losers, 3991-2443, roughly a 5:3 margin. NASDAQ showed that there was still a good deal of selling going on as only 29 stocks made new highs, but 104 hit new lows. ON the NYSE, 32 new highs and 53 new lows, so the combined total was another winner for the new lows, the 12th straight of that variety, with 61 new highs and 157 new lows.

Since volume was non-existent, one would be correct in believing that the correction was just taking a breather. Nothing goes in straight lines, so count this as one of the few good days in a continuum of downers.

NASDAQ Volume 1,612,915,750
NYSE Volume 3,371,598,000

Crude oil continues to demonstrate weakness, up only 25 cents on the day, to $93.26. Some of the crude decline is beginning to show up at the pump. AAA reports the national average at $3.65 for a gallon of unleaded regular, with the lowest to be found in Tennessee, at $3.45/gallon.

Gold gained $1.40, to $1541.40, while silver was up 14 cents, to $36.04.

All in all, it was a dull session, which is probably the way it should be. Wild swings are for gamblers and home run hitters. A dose of slowness - like the way markets were back in the 50s and 60s - might not be such a bad thing.

Ah, summer. Ya gotta love it. Almost makes one fell like taking the car out for a spin. Well, maybe.

Desperate Late Rally Bumps Dow to First Gain in Seven Weeks

What an absolute mockery the US stock markets are.

With stocks deteriorating late in the day, synchronized buying in the final 4 minutes brought the Dow Jones Industrial average back over 12,000, and to the first positive close in seven weeks.

The S&P move, similar in time frame, was even sillier, getting the widely-watched average to close exactly 0.52 higher than it ended last week. The Dow was up 52 points for the week, while the NASDAQ finished up the week a loser, down 27 points. Apparently, the genius brain trust on Wall Street missed that one.

In a few words, stocks are still very weak and the issues causing the weakness have yet to be resolved.

Dow 12,004.36, +42.84 (0.36%)
NASDAQ 2,616.48, -7.22 (0.28%)
S&P 500 1,271.50, +3.86 (0.30%)
NYSE Composite 8,000.11, +36.51 (0.46%)

For the first time in a while, advancers carried the day, unconvincingly beating declining issues, 3857-2774. On the NASDAQ, there were only 28 new highs and 113 new lows. The NYSE saw 25 new highs, but 48 new lows, making the combined totals favor the new lows for the 11th straight session, 161-76. Volume was healthy, having much to do, as did the general gains, with quadruple witching on options expiration. Beginning next week, with the options play out of the way, stocks can get right back to falling off the table again.

NASDAQ Volume 2,491,541,250
NYSE Volume 4,925,850,000

Crude oil was hammered down again, losing another $1.94, to close out the week at $93.01. Gold finished up $10.80, at $1540.00, while silver added 31 cents, to $35.90.

Economic data was muted, with the Conference Board's Index of leading Indicators up 0.8% for May, while the University of Michigan's consumer sentiment index backtracked from 74.3 in May to 71.8 in June.

It was a wild week for everyone, even those of us who only report on the madness.