Non-farm payrolls came in higher than analysts' forecasts and the unemployment rate fell to 8.8%. That good news sent the Dow Jones Industrial Average to a new 2011 high. At midday the Dow was up 78 points to 12,397 -- as reported by the Wall Street Journal.

Except for a brief sell-off to the 11,500 level, the market has moved quickly to regain lost ground and is now at new highs. Last week the USDA's crop report was bullish for grains. It's not surprising that Caterpillar (CAT) led the charge, up 1.7%. But there are always some losers. Office Depot (ODP) fell 11% after reporting a fourth quarter loss and Krispy Kreme Doughnuts (KKD), which also had a fourth quarter loss, fell 17%.

Continue reading Dow Hits New 2011 High: What's Next?

Dow Hits New 2011 High: What's Next? originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Fri, 01 Apr 2011 17:20:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

While the U.S. exchanges have a diverse market for mining and resource stocks, the fact is that there are large opportunities in foreign markets. In fact, the London Stock Exchange (LSE) and the Canadian TMX Group have agreed to merge, which would create an enormous market for commodities listings.

It is an all-stock deal, with the LSE holders getting roughly 55% of the equity. The exchange's CEO, Xavier Rolet, will also lead the new organization.

Continue reading London, Toronto Exchanges to Create a Mining Powerhouse

London, Toronto Exchanges to Create a Mining Powerhouse originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Wed, 09 Feb 2011 11:10:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Continue reading Dow 12,000: Pit Stop or Market Top?

Dow 12,000: Pit Stop or Market Top? originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Tue, 25 Jan 2011 15:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Continue reading Should We Be Wary of Tech Stocks?

Should We Be Wary of Tech Stocks? originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Thu, 06 Jan 2011 10:20:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Barron's is forecasting a 10% rise in stock prices in 2011 led by big cap stocks. They argue that the big caps have lagged the market for the past decade and are now poised to take the lead, as reported by CNBC.com.

Here are their top ten picks for this year: Exxon Mobil (XOM), Walmart (WMT), Pfizer (PFE), JPMorgan Chase (JPM), General Motors (GM), Cisco Systems (CSCO), United Continental Holdings (UAL), Barrack Gold (ABX), Entergy (ETR), and PepsiCo (PEP).

Continue reading Barron's Forecasts 10% Higher Stock Market in 2011

Barron's Forecasts 10% Higher Stock Market in 2011 originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Mon, 03 Jan 2011 16:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

The Bureau of Labor Statistics has an indicator that tracks the number of people who simply quit their jobs. CNBC.com reported that the indicator, which they dubbed "Take This Job and Shove It," climbed in October with 2 million people quitting their jobs, up from 1.7 million in the same month a year ago. The last time this pattern occurred was in 2003 when the economy started a long upward trend.

The "Shove It" indicator tends to turn up when people are confident enough that they will find another job if they quit their present one.

Continue reading More People Are Quitting Their Jobs

More People Are Quitting Their Jobs originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Thu, 09 Dec 2010 09:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Continue reading Is the Diesel Fuel Gauge Pointing to a Slowdown?

Is the Diesel Fuel Gauge Pointing to a Slowdown? originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Tue, 07 Dec 2010 10:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

We have hundreds of indexes tracking everything that wiggles or moves. We are constantly searching for direction. Where is the market headed? Where is the economy going? Are we still in a recession? Will we see more growth next year? And on and on we go.

Well, here's a unique index -- two indexes in fact -- that track unusual products. The Commodity Research Bureau's raw industrials spot index, which includes print cloth, rosin and wool tops, soared to an all-time high last week, as reported in the Wall Street Journal. The Journal of Commerce/Economic Cycle Research Institute industrial price index, which tracks industrial metals, cotton, hides and tallow, hit a 2010 high last Friday -- just shy of its 2008 peak.

Continue reading What Is the Bull Market in Burlap Telling Us?

What Is the Bull Market in Burlap Telling Us? originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Wed, 17 Nov 2010 10:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

You can't blame investors for being a little perplexed regarding the U.S. stock market right now.

The market's bulls argue the worst financial and economic news is behind us, and that the Dow's recent rise from about the 9,500 level in July to above 11,000 early this autumn is a signal by institutional investors that better days are ahead.

Continue reading Is Dow 11,000 Sending a False Signal to Investors?

Is Dow 11,000 Sending a False Signal to Investors? originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Fri, 22 Oct 2010 15:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

After nearly five months, federal regulators have been able to dissect the events of May 6, the day when the Dow plunged almost 1,000 points.

A joint report issued by the Commodity Futures Trading Commission and the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) pieced together that day's events and came up with this finding, as reported in the Wall Street Journal. A computerized trading program run by a Waddell & Reed trader automatically sold 35,000 e-mini S&P contracts. These contracts mirror the larger S&P contracts. The trader's program was triggered at 9% of the trade volume.

Continue reading Flash Crash Report: What Really Happened?

Flash Crash Report: What Really Happened? originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Sat, 02 Oct 2010 09:40:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Continue reading Think This Rally Is for Real? Use ETFs to Go Long

Think This Rally Is for Real? Use ETFs to Go Long originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Mon, 27 Sep 2010 10:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

EPFR Global tracks money flows worldwide. In a Bloomberg article, here are their latest numbers:

• Investors pulled $7.1 billion from stock funds worldwide in the week Aug 25.
• They put $5.2 billion into bonds.
• European equity funds reported net outflows of $15.7 billion
• Global emerging market funds took in $333 million.
• Dollar bonds in developing nations returned 13% this year.Global bonds could surpass last year's record inflow of $47 billion.

Continue reading Investors Are Switching from Stocks to Emerging Bonds

Investors Are Switching from Stocks to Emerging Bonds originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Wed, 01 Sep 2010 15:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Continue reading Persistent Bull Laszlo Birinyi Sees Market gains to Year End

Persistent Bull Laszlo Birinyi Sees Market gains to Year End originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Wed, 01 Sep 2010 14:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

I have always felt that for all the blabbing we do -- or blogging, in my case -- we should try as best we can to be accountable for our good and bad calls. This report is long overdue, but I will post it anyway since all of my past year's picks and results have been made public.

The market was very harsh in the early part of 2009, filling investors fear and trepidation, and sinking to a March 9, 2009 bottom. Perhaps some of the bleeding has stopped, but the economy has not healed as bears and bulls seem to carry the day, or every other day.

Continue reading Chasing Value™: 2009 Results Crushed the S&P 500

Chasing Value™: 2009 Results Crushed the S&P 500 originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Tue, 31 Aug 2010 10:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

• The New York Fed's factory gauge decreased to -2.7 this month from +10.1 in July.
• Shipments fell to -11.5 from +6.3.
• The manufacturers outlook index fell to its lowest level since July 2009.

Continue reading Factory Orders Nosedive; Builder Sentiment Plummets

Factory Orders Nosedive; Builder Sentiment Plummets originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Tue, 17 Aug 2010 09:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Continue reading Manufacturing Down for a Third Straight Month

Manufacturing Down for a Third Straight Month originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Mon, 02 Aug 2010 18:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Continue reading U.S. Economic Uncertainty Creates a Range-Bound Dow

U.S. Economic Uncertainty Creates a Range-Bound Dow originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Wed, 28 Jul 2010 17:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Oil traded higher today. After falling for six straight session, U.S. crude was up 2.1% to $73.48. The catalyst was an expected drop in inventories. The U.S. Energy Information Administration will likely show a drop of 2.8 million barrels, according to Reuters analysts. Gasoline inventories were forecast down 300,000 barrels.

The rally was also fueled by the jump in U.S. stocks. The Dow Jones Industrial Average is up 1.17% powered by better than expected earnings from State Street Corporation (STT). Robert Yawger, commented that: "More than anything else, its the strength in equity markets that are supporting crude oil markets."

Continue reading Oil Trades Up to $73 on Expected Inventory Drop

Oil Trades Up to $73 on Expected Inventory Drop originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Wed, 07 Jul 2010 17:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Twenty years ago, Nathan Most invented the exchange-traded fund (ETF) as a simple mutual fund that trades on exchanges like a stock. Then other creators like Blackrock Inc. (BLK) joined in, creating ETFs for commodities as well as exotic ones that double and triple returns. They are called 2x and 3x shares.

When first introduced, ETFs were shunned, mainly because investors knew little about the way they worked. Slowly, they gained momentum, and now there are some 260 such funds trading $40 billion globally. On some days, more than four out of ten trades on U.S. stock exchanges involve ETFs.

Continue reading The New World of ETFs

The New World of ETFs originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Fri, 02 Jul 2010 13:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Continue reading New Home Sales Plunge to a Record Low

New Home Sales Plunge to a Record Low originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Wed, 23 Jun 2010 13:10:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.