U.S. stock markets are poised to rise today as more and more positive data convinces Wall Street that the economic recovery is for real.

Futures for the Dow Jones Industrial Average, the Nasdaq Composite Index and the S&P 500 Index were all indicated higher following a rally in overseas markets. Germany's Dax, France's CAC-40 and the U.K.'s FTSE 100 all posted strong gains. Japan's Nikkei 25 also rose while China's Hang Seng declined.

For those looking for silver linings, there are plenty to choose.

Continue reading Before the bell: Stocks continue rally as investors bet recovery is for real

Before the bell: Stocks continue rally as investors bet recovery is for real originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Fri, 28 Aug 2009 07:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Market tanks amid fear, uncertainty and doubt originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Wed, 19 Mar 2008 16:56:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Gallery: Investing in wicked things

Cocaine is having a better year than the Dow Jones industrial average originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Wed, 17 Oct 2007 14:45:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

The Dow Jones Industrial Average took 208 point nosedive today as investors' confidence, which already was shaken by the subprime mortgage meltdown, further eroded after Wal-Mart Stores Inc. (NYSE: WMT) Chief Executive H. Lee Scott said people will face "difficult pressure economically."

But wait, there's more.

The world's largest retailer also slashed its earnings forecast for the year. Facing panicky investors, money manager Sentinel Management Inc. asked for permission to halt withdrawals by investors. Financial stocks including Citgroup Inc. (NYSE: C), Merrill Lynch & Co. (NYSE: MER), Fortress Investment Group LLC (NYSE: FIG) and Goldman Sachs Group Inc. (NYSE: GS) took a beating.

Prices paid to producers rose 0.6% in July, higher than the 0.2% gain forecasted by analysts surveyed by Bloomberg. The trade gap narrowed 1.7% to $58.1 billion in June, according to the U.S. Commerce Department. Unlike in previous trading days, the Fed didn't pump more money into the market.

But by about 1:20 p.m. Eastern time, the Dow fell more than 125 points to 13,111.27. The NASDAQ Composite Index was at 2,521.99, down 20.9 points. The S&P 500 dropped 15.47 to 1437.45. These dire numbers make it tough to forget that the market is still up for the year -- at least that's the case for now.

Continue reading Stock market's downward spiral continues

Stock market's downward spiral continues originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Tue, 14 Aug 2007 14:04:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Since hitting an interim low on March 5, the NASDAQ Composite index has rallied 10.3%. However, the large cap-laden NASDAQ 100 index has done even better, outpacing the broader benchmark by four percentage points.

In part, the relative outperformance of the narrower measure reflects the fact that investors have increasingly favored large, well-known companies with broad exposure to booming economies around the globe.

More recently, unsettled market conditions have spurred investors to seek shelter in the shares of firms that might fare better than those with less resources at their disposal.

Still, given the near-vertical trajectory of the relative advance and the fact that the NDX (which has an equivalent exchange-traded fund, or ETF (NASDAQ: QQQQ) ) is nearing multi-year resistance relative to the Composite, odds are that the narrower measure is poised to lose a bit of steam, at least in the near term.

Michael Panzner is a 25-year veteran of the global stock, bond, and currency markets and the author of Financial Armageddon: Protecting Your Future from Four Impending Catastrophes and The New Laws of the Stock Market Jungle: An Insider's Guide to Successful Investing in a Changing World.

NASDAQ 100 relative to composite: Outperformance overdone? originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Thu, 09 Aug 2007 15:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

The Chinese stock market has been on an incredible tear in recent months, despite government efforts to restrict credit and clamp down on aggressive speculation. Since December, the Shenzhen Composite Index has gained more than 57%.

However, if you overlay a graph of the Chinese market on that of the NASDAQ Composite Index from around the time the dot-com bubble was bursting seven or so years ago, it appears to paint a picture of a potential train wreck-in-the-making.

In other words, if things hold true to historical form, the parabolic rise we've seen so far in Chinese shares could be reaching its zenith . . . and then it's all downhill from here.

No doubt such a turnaround could have unsettling implications for markets and economies around the globe.

Michael Panzner is a 25-year veteran of the global stock, bond, and currency markets and the author of Financial Armageddon: Protecting Your Future from Four Impending Catastrophes and The New Laws of the Stock Market Jungle: An Insider's Guide to Successful Investing in a Changing World.

Chinese stock market: Deja vu all over again? originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Wed, 04 Apr 2007 12:04:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.