Jon D. Markman
Jon D.'S LATEST HEADLINES
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Bulls Overcome Market Tug of War to Send Stocks off to Strong March Start
Stocks rose briskly last week, resulting in a big week for the major market indexes. Weekly and monthly index charts improved, and such major U.S. stocks as The Boeing Co. (NYSE: BA), Hewlett Packard Co. (NYSE: HPQ), American Express Co. (NYSE: AXP), Google Inc. (NASDAQ: GOOG), Apple Inc. (AAPL), Goldman Sachs Group Inc. (NYSE: GS) and General Electric Co. (NYSE: GE) emerged from flat-lining or faltering price patterns on decent, if not outstanding, volume.
Just two weeks ago, every one of the afore-mentioned stocks looked terrible, exhibiting intense apathy amid slow, grinding declines. Then the skies parted, and suddenly the sun is shining on these shares once again.
That's why U.S. stocks are off to a strong March start – already up 4.1% from the end of February. And don't forget, a year ago at about this time (March 9, 2009), the market reached its nadir: The Standard & Poor's 500 Index is up 69.98% since that time.
Here's why the shift seems so abrupt. The markets are now in a tug of war between two forces:
- On the plus side are good fourth-quarter earnings reports related to an improving economy.
- On the negative side – as a friend at a major macro hedge fund described it last week – are "frigid winds blowing across the credit icebergs."
To find out who’s winning the stock-market tug of war,
please read on… - What's In Store for U.S. Stocks in Light of Greece's Tragedy?
- Plummeting British Pound Leads to Worries of Another Currency Market "Black Wednesday"
- Which Stocks and Sectors Will Shine as Market Fear Subsides?
- Bulls Vs. Bears: Who's Winning Wall Street's Biggest Battle?
- Is it Time For Investors to Beware of the Bear?
- Where's the "Big Money" Headed Now?
- Latest Report Shows the Jobless Recovery Still Endures
- The Five Factors That Could Rescue U.S. Stocks
- Europe-China Connection Could Rattle Stocks