Fear vs Greed: Greed Is Winning
Here in South Florida we have a saying. If you don’t like the weather, just wait ten minutes – it will change. During rainy season when the weather person says there is a 50% chance of rain, that means it will rain on half the city for half the day. Like the weather in South .. read more
A Closer Look
The markets were once again higher this week, as the Dow Industrials hit the 13,000 level and the Nasdaq Composite hit 3000, levels not seen in years. The S&P 500 also hit multi-year highs, on its way to the best 2-month start to any year. This might all change soon with Bernanke’s announcement on inflation .. read more
A Closer Look
More of the same this week. Markets inching higher on low volume. Crude oil spiking. Tensions in the Middle East. The Bank of Japan trying to do too much. The markets do seem overbought right now, but have been for weeks now. Will this correction ever come? The Nasdaq Composite is holding its trend line. .. read more
A Closer Look
Christmas may have come early this year, as the market surged forward on great numbers from the retail sector following the Black Friday extravaganza and the coordinated actions of the world’s central banks to relieve the European credit crunch. The week’s events propelled the S&P 500 to a 7% gain, while the German DAX was .. read more
Weekly Chart Review
Weekly Chart Review
Nattering Nabobs
One of the most interesting debates in economic and investing circles today concerns the mental state of investors. Are they overly optimistic about the state of the economy, buying stocks with no regard for the risks? Or are they still so shell shocked that they’re willing to pay Uncle Sam to hold their money in T Bills? Stocks .. read more
The VIX – Volatility Index
The VIX is very close to resistance at the 53 level, but is way off its highs of 89 set in late October 2008. The “fear” index is calculated based on the implied volatility of of S&P 500 index options, where a high value corresponds to a more volatile market and therefore more costly options.
