Dow Pops 10,000

I am actually exhausted from playing today's breakout rally. I've been up since 4:00 am, so great was my anticipation of the day the Dow finally popped 10,000. Here's what you need to know:

The last time the Dow crossed and closed above 10000 was on December 11, 2003. By January 26, 2004, it had topped out at 10,702, finally peaking in October, 2007 above 14,000.

Prior to that, the Dow's first cross of 10,000 was March 26 of 1999, during the heat of the dot-com boom. After testing the level for 5 trading days, the index finally climbed above the mark on April 7. On January 16, 2000, it peaked at 11722.98.

The people telling you that Dow 10,000 is insignificant and that it has crossed over that point 26 times are misleading you, whether on purpose or through partial ignorance. Every time the Dow has pierced the 10,000 mark to the upside in the midst of a rally, it has continued higher, significantly.

Today's move was interesting in that it came with options expiration just 2 days away. This kept a lid on stocks through most of the session, frustrating all but the most savvy investors, who knew that option positions were being flipped with every uptick short of 10,000. By 3:00, the lid came off as players sat back, counted their profits and held overnight. Some of the biggest options payoffs come on the final days of trading, though recently, Wednesdays have been the most active. Nobody wants to be caught in an upside down position with no way out, so holding until the final expiration is only for the best or the worst options traders.

Noting that, Thursday and Friday may be a little light, but Monday, when new positions are being staked out, should be explosive. There are more earnings due out over the course of the next three weeks, with the next two the busiest. Knowing which stocks to play will be essential to profits.

Dow 10,015.86, +144.80 (1.47%)
NASDAQ 2,172.23, +32.34 (1.51%)
S&P 500 1,092.02, +18.83 (1.75%)
NYSE Composite 7,182.38, +150.51 (2.14%)

Today really was all about the Dow Jones Industrials, but only 25 of the 30 stocks were gainers. Home Depot (HD), Johnson & Johnson (JNJ), AT&T (T), Verizon (VZ) and Wal-Mart (WMT) were the only losers and their losses were light. There will always be laggards, but as long as there are leaders, the Dow Index is still relevant.

On the day, simple indicators expressed exactly what kind of session it was: BULLISH! Advancers clobbered declining issues, 4887-1640 (3-1). New highs were all over the place, 921 of them, the most in over two years. There were 94 new lows. Volume was average, which means that those still out of the market have not yet found the courage to get in the game. They have missed the most significant rally of a generation, but the best part is that they don't know it's not over yet. There are still plenty of success stories to be told in this rally. When the outside money comes in, it will just add fuel to the already overheated fire and probably cause a correction as profits are taken with enthusiasm. Market tops always occur when the late money or stupid money gets involved and this is no different.

NYSE Volume 6,248,702,000
NASDAQ Volume 2,383,078,250

Talk has been rampant about predictions for the end of the year. Dow 10,700 and 11,150 and S&P 1200 have been popular numbers thrown out by experienced, professional traders. Those sound like reasonable targets. All of the major indices made new 2009 and multi-month highs.

Commodities took a back seat to stocks. Oil gained $1.03, to $75.18. Gold fell 30 cents, to $1,064.70. Silver was up 7 cents, to $17.91. They were a side show, but still tradable on pullbacks.

The rally was led by a troika of grand news. Intel posted exceptional 3rd quarter numbers and even better guidance. JP Morgan Chase blew the lid off, beat the 52 cents the street was expecting by 30 cents. 82 cents per share! Then, at 8:30 am, retail sales showed improvement when the cash for clunkers was stripped out. Finally, consumer demand has emerged. Just n time for Christmas.

There are more companies reporting tomorrow, notable Goldman Sachs (GS) and Google (GOOG). They are both expected to have blockbuster results.

The importance of Dow 10,000 cannot be underestimated. everyone who works on Wall Street feels better tonight than they did this morning. All investors who are in the market are probably a little more at ease. We, after all are human, and the number is an emotional one. It just plain makes us feel good about the economy. Everyone on the planet can relate to the big, round number, especially following the events of the past year.

There are more gains ahead.

Happy trading!

Slow Day, But Intel, CSX Movers After Hours

Stocks largely marked time on Tuesday as investors awaited third quarter earnings results from Intel (INTC), the world's largest chip maker, and CSX (CSX), one of the nation's largest freight railway operators.

After something of a disappointment from Johnson & Johnson (JNJ) before the bell, stocks sold off at the open and struggled close to break even throughout the rest of the day. It was apparent that there would be no major movement in the indices until the Intel announcement.

Dow 9,871.06, -14.74 (0.15%)
NASDAQ 2,139.89, +0.75 (0.04%)
S&P 500 1,073.18, -3.01 (0.28%)
NYSE Composite 7,031.87, -19.29 (0.27%)

Decliners beat advancers, though not broadly, 2808-3571. New highs continued to outperform new lows, 312-56. Volume was expectedly moderate.

NYSE Volume 5,026,830,000
NASDAQ Volume 2,052,388,000

Most of the real action that will affect markets for the near term occurred after the closing bell, when CSX reported 3rd quarter earnings results.

Net income from continuing operations was $293 million, or 0.74 cents per share. CSX said revenue in the quarter fell 23 percent to $2.3 billion, in line with analysts' expectations. The earnings beat expectations by .03 cents per share. The stock, which was traded lower by 63 cents during the regular session, was up sharply - +1.24, to $45.52 - in after hours trading.

Just minutes after CSX reported, Intel blew away estimates in all areas, reporting 3rd quarter earnings of $1.9 billion or 33 cents per share, compared with a net profit of $2.01 billion, or 35 cents per share, in the year ago period.

Revenue also beat forecasts handily, at $9.4 billion when expectations were set at $9.06 billion. After being halted pending the release, the stock soared nearly 6% in after hours trading, gaining more than $1.00 per share, pushing the stock above 21.50, a new 52-week-high. Significantly, Intel's earnings boosted a slew of other stocks after the close, including many in the tech and computer sector. Companies like Apple (APPL), Hewlett Packard (HPQ), Google (GOOG) and Cisco (CSCO) all gained in after-hours trading.

Commodities were solid during the session, with oil up 88 cents, to $74.15; gold up to a new record high of $1,065.00 on a gain of $7.50. Silver lagged somewhat, picking up 2 cents, to $17.84.

With real news coming both from the base (CSX) and the top (Intel) of the economy, unless there's some kind of disaster between here and the opening bell on Wednesday (retail sales for September are due out at 8:30 am), stocks should soar at the open, led by technology.

Dow, S-P, NYSE All Hit New 2009 Highs

On the day Americans celebrate the man who discovered our continent - Christopher Columbus - investors were discovering new 2009 highs on three of the four major indices. The Dow Jones Industrials, S&P 500 and NYSE Composite all closed at highs of the year, with the Dow eclipsing an intra-day high with the new mark now 9931.82, just 69 points shy of the enormously psychological 10,000 mark.

Stocks were up sharply in the opening hour, but weakened into the afternoon, and sold off sharply between 2:00 and 2:30 pm, sending the Dow and NASDAQ into negative territory. The Dow recovered to close modestly positive, but the NASDAQ, surprisingly weak on the session, finished fractionally lower. It was the only major index to close in the red. The sudden drop on the indices, though very sharp, was probably due to options expiration this week, as a major trader likely closed a large number of positions. The general market didn't seem to make much of it, as all of the indices recovered nicely with strong buying into the close.

Interestingly, the Dow Jones Transports sported solid gains on the day. The transports have been something of a laggard in recent sessions, but showed remarkable strength into the close, led by Ryder Systems (R) nearly 10% one-day move.

The act that the Transportation Index also closed at a new 2009 high is a bullish signal, inferring that rail and truck transport - the things that move goods across the nation and to the ports - are showing signs of recovery. Those issues are at the bottom of the economy, with shipping of energy - coal, natural gas, oil - and goods of all manner on the rise.

Dow 9,885.80, +20.86 (0.21%)
NASDAQ 2,139.14, -0.14 (0.01%)
S&P 500 1,076.18, +4.69 (0.44%)
NYSE Composite 7,051.16, +35.62 (0.51%)

Market internals were positive, in line with the headline numbers. Advancing issues beat decliners, 3386-3002, though there were quite a few more losers than gainers on the NASDAQ. There were 731 new highs to 67 new lows, a bullish sign. The new high-new low indicator has been the most reliable metric for market movement, though there is some fear that stocks may be getting to an overbought condition as earnings begin rolling out. Companies will have to show top-line growth this quarter in order to keep pace with their high valuations.

Volume was low due to the observance of Columbus Day.

NYSE Volume 4,169,401,250
NASDAQ Volume 1,758,818,250

Commodities were a big story on the day. Oil sipped past the $73.00 mark, gaining $1.50, to close at $73.27. Gold caught a bid higher, by $8.90, to finish at $1,057.50. Silver also gained 13 cents, to $17.82. The resumption of the rally in the precious metals seems to have been re-ignited by oil's gains.

The only notable earnings-related news was from Black & Decker, which pre-announced better-than-expected results. Market direction for Tuesday may be guided by Johnson & Johnson (JNJ), which is supposed to released 3rd quarter earnings prior to the bell. There will be some anticipation concerning Intel (INTC), which reports after the close.

Blowing The Top Off

On strength in the health care and technology sectors, US equities managed to finish one of their best weeks of the year with a strongly positive session. IBM led the Dow to new 52-week and 2009 highs, while the S&P finished just .17 short of its high for the year, set back on September 22 (1071.66). The NASDAQ also closed within shouting distance of its 200 closing high, just 7 points short of 2146.30, also the close on September 22.

The major indices closed higher every day this week except for the Dow, which posted a 6-point loss on Wednesday. This sets up an interesting scenario for the first big week of earnings season. A number of highly-traded stocks report next week, including Charles Schwab (SCHW) on Monday; Intel (INTC) and Johnson & Johnson (JNJ) on Tuesday; JP Morgan Chase (JPM) on Wednesday; Citigroup (C), Cypress Semi (CY), Goldman Sachs (GS), Google (GOOG), IBM (IBM) and Nokia (NOK) on Thursday; and Bank of America (BAC) and General Electric (GE) on Friday.

Dow 9,864.94, +78.07 (0.80%)
NASDAQ 2,139.28, +15.35 (0.72%)
S&P 500 1,071.49, +6.01 (0.56%)
NYSE Composite 7,015.54, +24.87 (0.36%)

Advancing issues beat decliners, 3942-2445, though the gains were not as broadly-based as earlier in the week. New highs beat new lows, 482-45. Volume was significantly below the levels of the rest of the week, but nobody seemed to care, with stocks soaring, even on a day in which the markets decoupled from the dollar trade, which was strengthened through intervention by the Bank of Japan and some veiled comments from the Fed Chairman, friendly uncle Ben Bernanke.

NYSE Volume 4,310,388,500
NASDAQ Volume 1,900,588,625

Due to the strong dollar, moves in the commodity markets were muted, though oil managed to gain 8 cents, to $71.77. Gold kicked back from its three-day record run, losing $7.70, to $1,048.60. Silver relinquished 13 cents to close at $17.69.

Considering the conditions in the market, it was something magnificent to see the Dow soar to a new closing high, but the US economy appears to be something of a coiled spring, about to explode with growth in all directions. Companies have cut the workforce to the bone while recovering from the worst financial crisis since the Great Depression. While there are still voices of macro-economics who believe that our debt levels are too high (they are) and the banking sector too weak (probably not in comparison to the rest of the world) to promote significant expansion, companies and investors are not convinced. Most of the working population is working, though this latest recession and the accompanying stimulus may have created an even larger underclass of unproductive cretins living off the earnings of the producers.

The big fear is that unemployment stays at elevated levels for too long a period. The government, by its actions such as extending unemployment benefits and increasing welfare payments only serves to exacerbate the condition, and washington must reign in its own profligacy. Otherwise, the massive spending the feds have thrown at the problem will create an ever more severe economic crisis in which the government cannot meet the demands of the people it is sworn to serve.

It's likely a very positive development that the dollar exhibited some strength and that bonds have sold off, increasing yields. If anything, the market, especially bond yields, will telegraph the next Fed move to raise interest rates, which seems to be coming sooner rather than later, and would be a good sign of real recovery and strength.

What most economics fail to include in their calculations are the robust dynamics of the US economy and the magic of innovation, which usually serves as a spur to both economic and job growth. The government jawboning about clean and green energy is a step in the right direction, but the markets will be the ultimate arbitrageur of what works and what doesn't. New products continue to come to market, and that builds economic activity more than any feeble weak-dollar trade ever could.

The US economy appears poised to break out into a new era of prosperity and the market is forecasting that development. As trite and cliche as it may sound, those who say that it's a mistake to bet against the US economy are probably dead right.

Jobless Claims Drop; Gold, Retails Rock

Responding to positive September same-store sales data from a wide array of national retail chains in virtually every category and improving new unemployment claims figures, stocks rolled into positive territory at the open and remained there the entire session. Finishing well off the highs, possibly due to nervousness over the shaky success of a 30-year Treasury bond auction and other factors in the market, stocks nonetheless responded positively to solid economic news.

Following Wednesday's closing bell, Alcoa (AA) reported and that company's street beat gave the market strong footing from which to launch new gains.

The dollar-equity reverse trade remained well in place. Oil and gold were sharply higher. Demand for commodities is noticeably gaining momentum and prices are following.

Dow 9,786.87, +61.29 (0.63%)
NASDAQ 2,123.93, +13.60 (0.64%)
S&P 500 1,065.48, +7.90 (0.75%)
NYSE Composite 6,990.67, +78.02 (1.13%)

Internals were wildly positive for the 4th straight session. Advancing issues galloped ahead of decliners, 4285-2147. There were an extraordinary 672 new highs - the highest in over two years - and only 54 new lows. Volume was steady and in line with recent days.

NYSE Volume 5,833,707,500
NASDAQ Volume 2,425,962,750

Oil finished at $71.69, up $2.12. Gold set another record high at $1,056.30, a gain of $11.90. Silver continued to rally along, up 32 cents, to $17.82. The metals, in particular, are staging an enormous rally, being caught in the perfect storm of rising demand, competitive pressure, a general worldwide commodity boom and a declining dollar. Conditions are perfect for a parabolic move, or, pardon the expression, a bubble, though not soon, especially concerning the precious metals, whose values have been depressed for many years and are gaining as larger concerns unwind losing positions.

While it's difficult to imagine a world in which gold and equities could peacefully coexist for long, that's the current hand being dealt and it should be played. General economic conditions are improving in various locales around the globe and eventually will leak into American prosperity. There are simply too many embedded interests for stocks and the global economy not to survive and succeed, regardless of the brainless policies of politicians and other government numbskulls. The sheer amount of money that has been thrown at the problems confronting the American people and American business is enough to keep things humming for several more months, if not years.

Eventually, inflation will destroy all gains, unless you secure assets quickly, quietly and are in the proper allocations. The disruptions in the bond markets today may be worth watching. Yields on longer term debt instruments may have bottomed as of yesterday. Interest rates cannot remain this low - and they are exceedingly low - for more than another 4-6 months. Sooner or later, the Fed will act, and they are likely to be too late as is their habit. However, well-measured small incremental increases spread over time - not necessarily in a succession, another bad Fed habit - could keep the economy on an even keel once its stabilized, which likely date is sometime in early Spring, if not sooner. Until then, the bull market will proceed without much more than the occasional hiccup.