With the Dow up seven straight days - though narrowly - reports on Durable Goods and New Home Sales boosted stocks, but the mood was cautious at midweek.
Thanks to the Cash for Clunkers government rebate program, durable goods orders registered their largest monthly gain in two years, up 4.9%, though the gain ex-autos was more in-line with expectations, though still solid at +0.8%.
The Commerce Department reported that sales of new homes rose for the 4th consecutive month in July, up 9.6% to a seasonally-adjusted annual rate of 433,000. Stocks were trading lower prior to to 10:00 am release of that number, but quickly shot into positive territory.
However, as has been the case in each of the last three days, gains were short-lived and all of the major indices spent the rest of the day zig-zagging the break-even line in a listless session. There still exists a good amount of commentary calling for a correction, though market participants are loath to give up gains or miss out on another potential leg up. All of the indices are at or very near resistance points dating back to last November 4, when stocks rebounded sharply after falling in September and October amidst uncertainty over the future of the entire financial system.
That ugly scenario seems to have been averted, but investors remain cooly cautious with summer quickly coming to an end. September is one of the rougher months for stocks and could be even harder considering the outsize gains made during the warm months of July and August.
Dow 9,543.52, +4.23 (0.04%)
NASDAQ 2,024.43, +0.20 (0.01%)
S&P 500 1,028.12, +0.12 (0.01%)
NYSE Composite 6,687.94, -9.28 (0.14%)
Declining issues narrowly beat back advancers, 3261-3111, but new highs finished ahead of new lows again, 174-45. If one was to take a cue from the indications supply by the new high-lows metric, it would appear that the market is not ready to relinquish its bullish posture. The number of new lows has continued to shrink in the face of growing investor optimism. Even bad stocks are getting bids.
Volume was its usual slow self, with nothing much in the way of volatility even whispered at this point. Stocks have barely budged all week and volume has been sluggish.
NYSE Volume 1,169,384,000
NASDAQ Volume 2,054,796,000
Crude oil future, now in the October delivery contract, tumbled another 62 cents, to $71.43. Gold dropped 20 cents, to $945.80. Silver shed 6 cents, to $14.29. While it was a slow day everywhere, that didn't prevent futures traders to send most commodities lower for the second straight day. Today it was the food category hardest hit after yesterday's assault on the energy sector.
Tomorrow morning all eyes will be trained on the 8:30 am release of new unemployment and continuing claims. That number should set the tone for the market, though there are more than enough other forces at work to swing consensus one way or the other. With resistance just overhead, it's becoming increasingly difficult for stocks to continue their heady climb.
Wednesday, August 26, 2009
Tuesday, August 25, 2009
Rally Continues, Though Pace is Sluggish; Bernanke Gets Obama Nod
After the Dow took a day off from recording gains on Monday, it was back to business as usual, as the Blue Chips joined the other major indices with gains on Tuesday, marking the 6th straight day of positive returns for the S&P, NASDAQ and NY Composite. Signs that the rally is running out of gas, or already is on empty, were evident in afternoon trading, not only today, but on monday as well, as stocks gave back earlier winnings.
The news flow was almost all positive on the day that President Barack Obama announced his intention to reappoint Ben Bernanke as Chairman of the Federal Reserve. Bernanke faces scrutiny by the Senate, which must confirm him for a second four-year term. That news, along with an upbeat report from the housing sector, got stocks off to a flying start, but enthusiasm waned as the day wore on, though all of the indices remained in positive territory for the entire session, ending - for the second straight day - with less-than-impressive moves.
The slow pace of advance is probably a good sign for traders, as investors are now aware that the market may have gotten ahead of itself last week and that the potential for a pullback - though not a substantial one - is great. With confidence building in most sectors, the fear is not that stocks will suffer a severe setback, but that precious profits will erode. many investors were hit hard by the bear market of 2008 and earlier this year and are still very cautious, thus booking gains at almost any opportunity. Riding this long rally has taken nerves of steel, and while some kind of correction seems inevitable, there's a solid chance that stocks may continue to ride high.
Judging by Tuesday's news - consumer confidence up from 48.1 in July to 54.0 in August and another monthly improvement in the S&P/Case-Shiller Home Price Index [PDF, with charts] - doubts for a successful recovery continue to be shredded. The widely-accepted housing index showed another decline year-over-year, but fared better than in the first quarter. While not much to go on, the hope is that housing woes have diminished and the sector will continue to improve, though there's debate on that front as well as others.
Dow 9,539.29, +30.01 (0.32%)
Nasdaq 2,024.23, +6.25 (0.31%)
S&P 500 1,028.00, +2.43 (0.24%)
NYSE Composite 6,697.22, +26.08 (0.39%)
Since the news flow was somewhat choppy and unconvincing, though still is more positive than negative, investors showed considerably more resolve than on Monday, with advancing issues trumping decliners, 3731-2686, and 220 stocks making new highs compared to just 73 new lows. Volume was disappointing once again, though the indices are now at or near highs for the year.
NYSE Volume 1,303,106,000
Nasdaq Volume 1,952,415,000
Part of the reason for the flaccid returns in equties were due in some part to the nearly across-the-board declines in commodities. Crude oil led the energy sector lower, losing $2.32, to $72.05. The metals were about the only winners, with gold up $2.30, to $946.00 and silver ahead marginally as well, gaining 12 cents, to $14.35. Almost all of the consumable commodities - from live cattle to coffee - trended lower. There's still no real pricing power at the low end of the supply chain, making margins tight and profits for finished goods and businesses difficult to attain.
Wednesday's Durable Goods Orders kicks off the morning session, with anticipation high over the success of the "Cash for Clunkers" program and how it will skew the figures in the automotive sector. It's a wall of worry, to be sure, but the market continues to climb. Any pullback here would more than likely be short-lived and narrow.
The news flow was almost all positive on the day that President Barack Obama announced his intention to reappoint Ben Bernanke as Chairman of the Federal Reserve. Bernanke faces scrutiny by the Senate, which must confirm him for a second four-year term. That news, along with an upbeat report from the housing sector, got stocks off to a flying start, but enthusiasm waned as the day wore on, though all of the indices remained in positive territory for the entire session, ending - for the second straight day - with less-than-impressive moves.
The slow pace of advance is probably a good sign for traders, as investors are now aware that the market may have gotten ahead of itself last week and that the potential for a pullback - though not a substantial one - is great. With confidence building in most sectors, the fear is not that stocks will suffer a severe setback, but that precious profits will erode. many investors were hit hard by the bear market of 2008 and earlier this year and are still very cautious, thus booking gains at almost any opportunity. Riding this long rally has taken nerves of steel, and while some kind of correction seems inevitable, there's a solid chance that stocks may continue to ride high.
Judging by Tuesday's news - consumer confidence up from 48.1 in July to 54.0 in August and another monthly improvement in the S&P/Case-Shiller Home Price Index [PDF, with charts] - doubts for a successful recovery continue to be shredded. The widely-accepted housing index showed another decline year-over-year, but fared better than in the first quarter. While not much to go on, the hope is that housing woes have diminished and the sector will continue to improve, though there's debate on that front as well as others.
The S&P/Case-Shiller U.S. National Home Price Index – which covers all nine U.S. census divisions – recorded a 14.9% decline in the 2nd quarter of 2009 versus the 2nd quarter of 2008. While still a substantial negative annual rate of return, this is an improvement over the record decline of 19.1% reported in the 1st quarter of the year.
Dow 9,539.29, +30.01 (0.32%)
Nasdaq 2,024.23, +6.25 (0.31%)
S&P 500 1,028.00, +2.43 (0.24%)
NYSE Composite 6,697.22, +26.08 (0.39%)
Since the news flow was somewhat choppy and unconvincing, though still is more positive than negative, investors showed considerably more resolve than on Monday, with advancing issues trumping decliners, 3731-2686, and 220 stocks making new highs compared to just 73 new lows. Volume was disappointing once again, though the indices are now at or near highs for the year.
NYSE Volume 1,303,106,000
Nasdaq Volume 1,952,415,000
Part of the reason for the flaccid returns in equties were due in some part to the nearly across-the-board declines in commodities. Crude oil led the energy sector lower, losing $2.32, to $72.05. The metals were about the only winners, with gold up $2.30, to $946.00 and silver ahead marginally as well, gaining 12 cents, to $14.35. Almost all of the consumable commodities - from live cattle to coffee - trended lower. There's still no real pricing power at the low end of the supply chain, making margins tight and profits for finished goods and businesses difficult to attain.
Wednesday's Durable Goods Orders kicks off the morning session, with anticipation high over the success of the "Cash for Clunkers" program and how it will skew the figures in the automotive sector. It's a wall of worry, to be sure, but the market continues to climb. Any pullback here would more than likely be short-lived and narrow.
Monday, August 24, 2009
Rally Stalls After Four Straight Up Days
Even though the Dow Jones Industrials finished with a gain, the other major indices suffered marginal losses to begin the last week of August and the unofficial end of summer. Compared to the drop last Monday, today's action was little more than profit-taking posturing and a pause prior to Tuesday's reading of durable goods orders.
There is still a good deal of trepidation in traders' hearts, and following such an impressive run last week, a break was surely in order. Along with the durable goods report for July, there's the Conference Board's consumer confidence index and the S&P/Case-Shiller Home Price Index with which to deal on Tuesday morning. That home price index has been a rally-killer in the past, though last month's data suggested that the housing market was beginning to turn around as the 10-City and 20-City Composites improved for the fourth consecutive month.
Investors, keenly aware that jobs and home-buying are two of the biggest factors in recession and recovery, will be keeping a close eye on that index as well.
Otherwise, Monday was moribund and listless, with traders going through the motions instead of staking out new positions. After a brief upsurge in the morning, stocks lost ground, tracing out the break-even line into the close. Some may have said it was hardly worth getting out of bed, though from the volume slant, most stock jockeys were at their desks bright and early.
Dow 9,509.28, +3.32 (0.03%)
NASDAQ 2,017.98, -2.92 (0.14%)
S&P 500 1,025.56, -0.57 (0.06%)
NYSE Composite 6,671.14, -5.12 (0.08%)
Declining issues held a narrow lead over advancing ones, 3276-3187, but new highs held a large edge over new lows, 227-88. Volume was solid, but uninspiring.
NYSE Volume 1,389,159,000
NASDAQ Volume 2,072,289,000
Oil continued to price higher in futures markets, up another 48 cents per barrel, to $74.37 on the NY Merc. Meanwhile, gold was taking another beating, losing $11, to close at $943.70. Silver responded positively, however slightly, up 3 cents, to $14.23 per ounce. Natural gas, trading at 7-year lows, caught a bit of a bid, though a gain to just $2.92 is still well below levels seen in recent years. The disparity between crude oil and natural gas prices is beginning to cause a stir, especially in US markets. Gas discovery and extraction has been aided by technology recently and the word is that the US is probably sitting on at least a 20 year supply - some estimates are as high as 100 years - of natural gas, causing the price to plummet.
If there is such an abundance of natural gas and crude prices remain high, it won't be long before those natural gas conversion kits for cars become all the rage. Of course, there still aren't many places where one could fill up on nat. gas., but with prices so low, don't be surprised if a number of new businesses aren't started up based on the assumption that oil will stay high and natural gas low. Maybe we should have listened to T. Boone Pickens last summer when he was saying that natural gas was the bridge between oil and renewable energy.
On the stock market, naturally, there was the usual chorus of caution from the punditry, with more than a few analysts saying the rally had run its course and it was time to take profits, take a break and get back in at lower levels in the fall. However, the camps between the naysayers and optimists were about evenly split, for varying reasons. Below, one of the more positive calls:
There is still a good deal of trepidation in traders' hearts, and following such an impressive run last week, a break was surely in order. Along with the durable goods report for July, there's the Conference Board's consumer confidence index and the S&P/Case-Shiller Home Price Index with which to deal on Tuesday morning. That home price index has been a rally-killer in the past, though last month's data suggested that the housing market was beginning to turn around as the 10-City and 20-City Composites improved for the fourth consecutive month.
Investors, keenly aware that jobs and home-buying are two of the biggest factors in recession and recovery, will be keeping a close eye on that index as well.
Otherwise, Monday was moribund and listless, with traders going through the motions instead of staking out new positions. After a brief upsurge in the morning, stocks lost ground, tracing out the break-even line into the close. Some may have said it was hardly worth getting out of bed, though from the volume slant, most stock jockeys were at their desks bright and early.
Dow 9,509.28, +3.32 (0.03%)
NASDAQ 2,017.98, -2.92 (0.14%)
S&P 500 1,025.56, -0.57 (0.06%)
NYSE Composite 6,671.14, -5.12 (0.08%)
Declining issues held a narrow lead over advancing ones, 3276-3187, but new highs held a large edge over new lows, 227-88. Volume was solid, but uninspiring.
NYSE Volume 1,389,159,000
NASDAQ Volume 2,072,289,000
Oil continued to price higher in futures markets, up another 48 cents per barrel, to $74.37 on the NY Merc. Meanwhile, gold was taking another beating, losing $11, to close at $943.70. Silver responded positively, however slightly, up 3 cents, to $14.23 per ounce. Natural gas, trading at 7-year lows, caught a bit of a bid, though a gain to just $2.92 is still well below levels seen in recent years. The disparity between crude oil and natural gas prices is beginning to cause a stir, especially in US markets. Gas discovery and extraction has been aided by technology recently and the word is that the US is probably sitting on at least a 20 year supply - some estimates are as high as 100 years - of natural gas, causing the price to plummet.
If there is such an abundance of natural gas and crude prices remain high, it won't be long before those natural gas conversion kits for cars become all the rage. Of course, there still aren't many places where one could fill up on nat. gas., but with prices so low, don't be surprised if a number of new businesses aren't started up based on the assumption that oil will stay high and natural gas low. Maybe we should have listened to T. Boone Pickens last summer when he was saying that natural gas was the bridge between oil and renewable energy.
On the stock market, naturally, there was the usual chorus of caution from the punditry, with more than a few analysts saying the rally had run its course and it was time to take profits, take a break and get back in at lower levels in the fall. However, the camps between the naysayers and optimists were about evenly split, for varying reasons. Below, one of the more positive calls:
Friday, August 21, 2009
Existing Home Sales Gain Pushes Stocks Higher
Rising for the 4th day in a row, major US stock indices broke through resistance and above previous highs of a week ago, thanks to cheery news from the National Association of Realtors (NAR), who released their July existing homes sales data, showing the largest one month gain in the history of the series, dating back to 1999.
The 7.2% gain over June's figures was the 4th straight monthly gain for the measure. The NAR reported that distressed sales made up 31% of all sales and first time buyers were responsible for 30%. The 5.24 million units in July were well ahead of the 4.89 million in June, and are 5%t above the 4.99 million-unit pace in July 2008.
This is capitalism at work. The oversupply of homes on the market has lowered prices to a median of 178,000, though many of the distressed, foreclosed properties are going for well below that number. There are speculators, new buyers and even people upgrading within the context of historically-low interest rates and oversupply on the market forcing prices down.
Today's data was another in a lengthening string of positive economic reports and investors took action right upon the news. At 10:00 am, when the report was released, all of the major indices shot straight up, to near the closing levels. The Dow, which was already up 50 points at the open, immediately tacked on another 100, taking the average above 9500 for the first time since November 4, 2008, when the index closed at 9625.28.
The NASDAQ and S&P blew through their respective highs as well, with confidence in the US economy continuing to grow.
Dow 9,505.96, +155.91 (1.67%)
NASDAQ 2,020.90, +31.68 (1.59%)
S&P 500 1,026.13, +18.76 (1.86%)
NYSE Composite 6,676.26, +122.86 (1.87%)
Market internals confirmed that the rally was broad and deep, as 5027 stocks showed gains, to just 1467 on the losing side. There were 208 new highs to 93 new lows. Volume was solid, the best in weeks, indicating that this rally still has legs. Some analysts are calling for 1050 on the S&P and 10,000 on the Dow by the end of the year, and, while those estimates may seem trivial, there is a growing chorus of capitalist cheer-leading from corners as diverse as rural farming interests to chic fashion retailers. Even if there is another pullback, which will occur when everyone least expects it, as is the usual case, there's sufficient evidence to posit that even though various government entities (cities, states and federal) are running enormous deficits, it is that deficit spending money that kept people working and money flowing through the economy.
There will certainly come a time in which these debts must be dealt with, but nobody seems interested in dealing with those thorny issues at present. That day will come all too soon for investors and speculators, the wisest and craftiest of which have remade fortunes or made new ones during this six-month-long rally.
It was the seventh week out of the past eight that markets finished a week higher than the previous one, and gains have been substantial.
NYSE Volume 6,724,499,500
NASDAQ Volume 2,279,040,750
Oil was up again, but again only marginally, as on Thursday, gaining 12 cents, to $72.54. The metals were among the winners of the asset classes, with gold higher by $13.00, to close at $954.70. Silver had a nice reversal as well, picking up 28 cents, to $14.16 per ounce.
The day, and the week, were among the best seen for US business interests in more then 10 months. While the US may not be fully out of recession - though there are obvious signs that it is - the pathway of recovery is becoming more and more well-defined by the day.
The 7.2% gain over June's figures was the 4th straight monthly gain for the measure. The NAR reported that distressed sales made up 31% of all sales and first time buyers were responsible for 30%. The 5.24 million units in July were well ahead of the 4.89 million in June, and are 5%t above the 4.99 million-unit pace in July 2008.
This is capitalism at work. The oversupply of homes on the market has lowered prices to a median of 178,000, though many of the distressed, foreclosed properties are going for well below that number. There are speculators, new buyers and even people upgrading within the context of historically-low interest rates and oversupply on the market forcing prices down.
Today's data was another in a lengthening string of positive economic reports and investors took action right upon the news. At 10:00 am, when the report was released, all of the major indices shot straight up, to near the closing levels. The Dow, which was already up 50 points at the open, immediately tacked on another 100, taking the average above 9500 for the first time since November 4, 2008, when the index closed at 9625.28.
The NASDAQ and S&P blew through their respective highs as well, with confidence in the US economy continuing to grow.
Dow 9,505.96, +155.91 (1.67%)
NASDAQ 2,020.90, +31.68 (1.59%)
S&P 500 1,026.13, +18.76 (1.86%)
NYSE Composite 6,676.26, +122.86 (1.87%)
Market internals confirmed that the rally was broad and deep, as 5027 stocks showed gains, to just 1467 on the losing side. There were 208 new highs to 93 new lows. Volume was solid, the best in weeks, indicating that this rally still has legs. Some analysts are calling for 1050 on the S&P and 10,000 on the Dow by the end of the year, and, while those estimates may seem trivial, there is a growing chorus of capitalist cheer-leading from corners as diverse as rural farming interests to chic fashion retailers. Even if there is another pullback, which will occur when everyone least expects it, as is the usual case, there's sufficient evidence to posit that even though various government entities (cities, states and federal) are running enormous deficits, it is that deficit spending money that kept people working and money flowing through the economy.
There will certainly come a time in which these debts must be dealt with, but nobody seems interested in dealing with those thorny issues at present. That day will come all too soon for investors and speculators, the wisest and craftiest of which have remade fortunes or made new ones during this six-month-long rally.
It was the seventh week out of the past eight that markets finished a week higher than the previous one, and gains have been substantial.
NYSE Volume 6,724,499,500
NASDAQ Volume 2,279,040,750
Oil was up again, but again only marginally, as on Thursday, gaining 12 cents, to $72.54. The metals were among the winners of the asset classes, with gold higher by $13.00, to close at $954.70. Silver had a nice reversal as well, picking up 28 cents, to $14.16 per ounce.
The day, and the week, were among the best seen for US business interests in more then 10 months. While the US may not be fully out of recession - though there are obvious signs that it is - the pathway of recovery is becoming more and more well-defined by the day.
Thursday, August 20, 2009
Three Time's A Charm for US Stock Markets
Stocks rose for the third consecutive day, nearly erasing the declines from the previous Friday and this Monday, as investors shrugged off persistently high unemployment numbers and focused instead on economic data that showed a slow but steady pattern of recovery for US businesses.
The markets were somewhat blind-sided by new unemployment claims prior to the opening. At 576,000 for the most recent week, new claims were higher than expected and worse than the 561,000 reported the week earlier. That did not spoil the mood on Wall St., however, as stocks raced to early gains and added to them as a report on leading economic indicators registered a fourth straight monthly increase of 0.7% for July. As that report was passing the wires, the Philadelphia Fed Index came in above expectations, with an increase to 4.2, up sharply from -7.5 in July and well ahead of mostly dour expectations.
Without earnings driving the market currently, it has been a steady stream of economic data that has buoyed markets of late. Though the news hasn't been earth-shattering or jaw-dropping, it's about as good as it can get, considering the dire circumstances which investors faced in months prior.
Options expiration, which occurs on Friday, had some impact, as surely some of those with gains converted into actual shares as the strike date neared. Often the culprit for volatility, the options trade has been somewhat tame over the past six to eight months. Shying from the outright risk of losing everything, many options players have scaled back their efforts or employed straddles or other methodologies to ameliorate risk and eliminate losses.
Should there be nothing in the way of outright "bad" news on the morrow, all of the major indices are set to record another positive week. The key number to watch for on Friday is the July Existing Home Sales report, due out at 10:00 am. Expectations are for 5 million homes to have been sold in the month, which would be a modest, but sustained, increase from June's 4.89 million.
Dow 9,350.05, +70.89 (0.76%)
Nasdaq 1,989.22, +19.98 (1.01%)
S&P 500 1,007.37, +10.91 (1.09%)
NYSE Composite 6,553.40, +74.12 (1.14%)
Advancing issues once again led decliners, 4471-1937, while new highs registered an edge over new lows, 142-49. Volume was once more on the pathetic side, though it's been that way all spring and summer. Most of the pundits and analysts following money at work or at rest have reported that there is still much on the sidelines, but there are signs that more is flowing into stocks on each successive dip.
The markets have largely gathered back everything lost on Friday and Monday. The Dow is just 48 points short of where it closed on Thursday, August 13. The NASDAQ is 20 points below the close from the same date and the S&P is just 5 points below the magic number at 1012.
NYSE Volume 1,119,247,000
Nasdaq Volume 1,988,868,000
Crude oil was up again, though only by 12 cents, to $72.54. Gold continued to trade in a range, losing $3.10 to $941.70. Silver also seems stuck, up a penny, to $13.88. Commodity prices, especially oil, are eventually going to lose investor interest and take on water as stocks have been consistently solid performers for the past 6 months running, since the bottom of March 9. While many portend that the trend cannot continue without a meaningful correction, the economic forces of globalization and deflation are playing important and, as yet misunderstood, roles in business cycles.
Pricing power being non-existent, the push of late has been for market share and product diversification. Companies which pared their labor and other costs early on have thrived under the new regimen and should continue to do so as the economies of the world gradually improve.
The markets were somewhat blind-sided by new unemployment claims prior to the opening. At 576,000 for the most recent week, new claims were higher than expected and worse than the 561,000 reported the week earlier. That did not spoil the mood on Wall St., however, as stocks raced to early gains and added to them as a report on leading economic indicators registered a fourth straight monthly increase of 0.7% for July. As that report was passing the wires, the Philadelphia Fed Index came in above expectations, with an increase to 4.2, up sharply from -7.5 in July and well ahead of mostly dour expectations.
Without earnings driving the market currently, it has been a steady stream of economic data that has buoyed markets of late. Though the news hasn't been earth-shattering or jaw-dropping, it's about as good as it can get, considering the dire circumstances which investors faced in months prior.
Options expiration, which occurs on Friday, had some impact, as surely some of those with gains converted into actual shares as the strike date neared. Often the culprit for volatility, the options trade has been somewhat tame over the past six to eight months. Shying from the outright risk of losing everything, many options players have scaled back their efforts or employed straddles or other methodologies to ameliorate risk and eliminate losses.
Should there be nothing in the way of outright "bad" news on the morrow, all of the major indices are set to record another positive week. The key number to watch for on Friday is the July Existing Home Sales report, due out at 10:00 am. Expectations are for 5 million homes to have been sold in the month, which would be a modest, but sustained, increase from June's 4.89 million.
Dow 9,350.05, +70.89 (0.76%)
Nasdaq 1,989.22, +19.98 (1.01%)
S&P 500 1,007.37, +10.91 (1.09%)
NYSE Composite 6,553.40, +74.12 (1.14%)
Advancing issues once again led decliners, 4471-1937, while new highs registered an edge over new lows, 142-49. Volume was once more on the pathetic side, though it's been that way all spring and summer. Most of the pundits and analysts following money at work or at rest have reported that there is still much on the sidelines, but there are signs that more is flowing into stocks on each successive dip.
The markets have largely gathered back everything lost on Friday and Monday. The Dow is just 48 points short of where it closed on Thursday, August 13. The NASDAQ is 20 points below the close from the same date and the S&P is just 5 points below the magic number at 1012.
NYSE Volume 1,119,247,000
Nasdaq Volume 1,988,868,000
Crude oil was up again, though only by 12 cents, to $72.54. Gold continued to trade in a range, losing $3.10 to $941.70. Silver also seems stuck, up a penny, to $13.88. Commodity prices, especially oil, are eventually going to lose investor interest and take on water as stocks have been consistently solid performers for the past 6 months running, since the bottom of March 9. While many portend that the trend cannot continue without a meaningful correction, the economic forces of globalization and deflation are playing important and, as yet misunderstood, roles in business cycles.
Pricing power being non-existent, the push of late has been for market share and product diversification. Companies which pared their labor and other costs early on have thrived under the new regimen and should continue to do so as the economies of the world gradually improve.
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