BloggingStocks http://www.bloggingstocks.com BloggingStocks http://www.blogsmithmedia.com/http://www.bloggingstocks.com/media/feedlogo.gif BloggingStocks http://www.bloggingstocks.com en-us Copyright 2012 Weblogs, Inc. The contents of this feed are available for non-commercial use only. Blogsmith http://www.blogsmith.com/<![CDATA[Closing Bell: Almost 7-weeks in a row (GM, JPM, AMZN, AXP, MSFT)]]>http://www.bloggingstocks.com/2009/04/24/closing-bell-almost-7-weeks-in-a-row-gm-jpm-amzn-axp-msft/http://www.bloggingstocks.com/2009/04/24/closing-bell-almost-7-weeks-in-a-row-gm-jpm-amzn-axp-msft/http://www.bloggingstocks.com/2009/04/24/closing-bell-almost-7-weeks-in-a-row-gm-jpm-amzn-axp-msft/#commentsFiled under: , , , ,

Today was a strange day. Durable goods gave little hope and housing data was also lackluster. Yet when you beat lowered estimates that is often enough. The government's "stress tests" look more like a baseline test for the banks.

Had the DJIA closed a penny above the 8,131.33 level, that would have marked a 7-week rally. Here were today's unofficial closing bell levels:

Dow 8,075.09 +118.03 (1.48%)
S&P 500 866.06 +14.14 (1.66%)
Nasdaq 1,694.29 +42.08 (2.55%)

Top Analyst Calls

Continue reading Closing Bell: Almost 7-weeks in a row (GM, JPM, AMZN, AXP, MSFT)

Closing Bell: Almost 7-weeks in a row (GM, JPM, AMZN, AXP, MSFT) originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Fri, 24 Apr 2009 16:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>durable goodsDurableGoodsfeaturedstress testStressTestFri, 24 Apr 2009 16:00:00 EST<![CDATA[Closing Bell: Dow down, policy and news keep sellers active; AIG, C, CSCO, SHLD, GM ]]>http://www.bloggingstocks.com/2009/02/26/closing-bell-dow-down-policy-and-news-keep-sellers-active-aig/http://www.bloggingstocks.com/2009/02/26/closing-bell-dow-down-policy-and-news-keep-sellers-active-aig/http://www.bloggingstocks.com/2009/02/26/closing-bell-dow-down-policy-and-news-keep-sellers-active-aig/#commentsFiled under: , , , ,

Today's data on the horrible jobless and durable goods data was a blow, but the markets ended up sweeping it under the table. For a bit. Then the Obama budget went to Congress with all the entitlement spending packages and tax increases.

Whether or not these make into law and policy is one thing, but the investment community is beginning to wonder now whether the new rules will make it worthwhile to even invest. That is a sad thought and probably an unfair notion in the end, but this is what traders and investors have said. Here are today's unofficial closing bell levels:

Dow 7,182.08 -88.81 (-1.22%)
S&P 500 752.82 -12.08 (-1.58%)
Nasdaq 1,391.47 -33.96 (-2.38%)

Top Analyst Calls

Continue reading Closing Bell: Dow down, policy and news keep sellers active; AIG, C, CSCO, SHLD, GM

Closing Bell: Dow down, policy and news keep sellers active; AIG, C, CSCO, SHLD, GM originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Thu, 26 Feb 2009 16:05:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>durable goodsDurableGoodsobamaunemploymentThu, 26 Feb 2009 16:05:00 EST<![CDATA[Durable goods orders unexpectedly rise on aircraft demand ]]>http://www.bloggingstocks.com/2008/10/29/durable-goods-orders-unexpectedly-rise-on-aircraft-demand/http://www.bloggingstocks.com/2008/10/29/durable-goods-orders-unexpectedly-rise-on-aircraft-demand/http://www.bloggingstocks.com/2008/10/29/durable-goods-orders-unexpectedly-rise-on-aircraft-demand/#commentsFiled under:

U.S. durable goods orders increased 0.8% in September, boosted by strong demand for airplanes, the U.S. Commerce Department announced Wednesday.

Economists surveyed by Bloomberg News had expected September durable goods orders to fall 1.1%. Still, durable goods orders decreased a revised 5.5% in August, which was worse than the 4.5% decline announced earlier.

Transportation goods orders skewed the data higher, increasing 6.3% in the month. Excluding transportation, durable good orders declined 1.1% in September. Further, durable goods have now declined 1.8% on a year-over-year basis. However, durable goods orders have increased in four the past five months.

Economist David H. Wang told BloggingStocks Wednesday the durable goods report offered additional evidence of slowing economic activity, but it could have been worse.

"I expected to see an even bigger drop in manufactured goods demand, but do not misunderstand, outside of airplane demand, this is a weak report," Wang said. "With tighter credit for businesses and for consumers with auto purchases and other goods, we're going to continue to see further deterioration in durable good orders in the fall, before a recovery starts early next year."

Continue reading Durable goods orders unexpectedly rise on aircraft demand

Durable goods orders unexpectedly rise on aircraft demand originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Wed, 29 Oct 2008 10:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>durable goodsDurableGoodseconomyinthenewsWed, 29 Oct 2008 10:00:00 EST<![CDATA[August home sales highlight an already rocky housing market]]>http://www.bloggingstocks.com/2008/09/25/august-home-sales-highlight-an-already-rocky-housing-market/http://www.bloggingstocks.com/2008/09/25/august-home-sales-highlight-an-already-rocky-housing-market/http://www.bloggingstocks.com/2008/09/25/august-home-sales-highlight-an-already-rocky-housing-market/#commentsFiled under: , , , ,

As Washington tries to come up with an agreement on how to solve the current economic crisis, we received more information today on just how bad things are getting, as figures show new home sales were very weak during the month of August.

As the credit crunch and falling home values continue to apply pressure to an already weak housing market, the Commerce Department announced today that new home sales in August fell by a sharp 11.5% in August, resulting in a seasonally adjusted sales rate of 460,000 new homes. To find the last time we saw a rate this low, we would have to look all the way back to January of 1991.

As always, Wall Street likes to compare actual numbers to estimates. Had economists been expecting to see a 10% or greater drop in new home sales, that would be one thing, but that was not the case. Going into today's report, economists were expecting to see new home sales fall, though not nearly the 11.5% actual rate, but a much smaller drop of only 1% in the month. So today's reported sales figures are definitely going to add to the confusion that many are feeling regarding the housing market.

Continue reading August home sales highlight an already rocky housing market

August home sales highlight an already rocky housing market originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Thu, 25 Sep 2008 17:20:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>Congressdurable goodsDurableGoodseconomic slowdownEconomicSlowdowneconomyhome priceshome salesHomePricesHomeSalesinthenewsunemploymentThu, 25 Sep 2008 17:20:00 EST<![CDATA[Factory orders increase 2.3% in December, in-line with estimate]]>http://www.bloggingstocks.com/2008/02/04/factory-orders-increase-2-3-in-december-in-line-with-estimate/http://www.bloggingstocks.com/2008/02/04/factory-orders-increase-2-3-in-december-in-line-with-estimate/http://www.bloggingstocks.com/2008/02/04/factory-orders-increase-2-3-in-december-in-line-with-estimate/#commentsFiled under: ,

U.S. factory orders increased in December 2007 -- a sign that business spending remains resilient even as employers pull-back regarding hiring plans.

Factory orders increased 2.3% in December 2007, in-line with the 2.3% consensus estimate, the U.S. Commerce Department announced Monday, in a statement. Factory orders rose a revised 1.7% in November 2007. Excluding transportation orders, factory orders increased 0.7% in December 2007.

Durable goods orders drove factory orders -- increasing 5% in the month. Orders for nondurable goods fell 0.4%; machinery increased 7.3%, and electronics rose 4.1%

Continue reading Factory orders increase 2.3% in December, in-line with estimate

Factory orders increase 2.3% in December, in-line with estimate originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Mon, 04 Feb 2008 12:05:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>durable goodsDurableGoodsfactory ordersGDPinthenewsU.S. Commerce DepartmentU.s.CommerceDepartmentMon, 04 Feb 2008 12:05:00 EST<![CDATA[The economy and the Fed: When good news is bad!]]>http://www.bloggingstocks.com/2007/09/28/the-economy-and-the-fed-when-good-news-is-bad/http://www.bloggingstocks.com/2007/09/28/the-economy-and-the-fed-when-good-news-is-bad/http://www.bloggingstocks.com/2007/09/28/the-economy-and-the-fed-when-good-news-is-bad/#commentsFiled under: , , , , , ,

Several major pieces of economic news were released this morning, and all were good. Personal Spending rose more than expected, the fastest growth in two years. The Chicago PMI report rose more than expected as well. The Michigan Consumer Sentiment report seemed to hold its own. In addition, the core inflation number came in within the Fed's target range.

This is a major contrast to the numbers earlier in the week. Durable Goods and Consumer Confidence reports were terrible, and both Existing and New Home Sales indicated that there appears to be no end in sight for the housing slump. The only good number was Second-Quarter GDP. However, this was prior to the turmoil created in the markets by the credit crisis.

Then, why did the stock market rally on the bad news and is going down today on these positive economic reports? It's the liquidity. The stock market is driven by money and credit. As there is greater availability and lower cost, the market performs better. Who is the ultimate gatekeeper for this? You guessed it: the Federal Reserve.

Continue reading The economy and the Fed: When good news is bad!

The economy and the Fed: When good news is bad! originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Fri, 28 Sep 2007 12:25:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>Chicago PMIChicagoPmiConsumer Confidenceconsumer spendingConsumerConfidenceConsumerSpendingDurable GoodsDurableGoodseconomic dataEconomicDataExisting Home SalesExistingHomeSalesfederal reserveFederalReserveinflationinthenewsNew Home SalesNewHomeSalespersonal spendingPersonalSpendingFri, 28 Sep 2007 12:25:00 EST