Mar 15, 2010

Daily Markets - Financial News And Opinions

Daily Markets - Financial News And Opinions

Forex Trading: Eurozone Employment Change

Posted: 15 Mar 2010 03:03 AM PDT

The eurozone m/m employment change was -0.3% for February; worse than the survey of 0.2% and prior reading of 0.3%. The market had no … [visit site to read more]


Is Now A Good Time To Look Into US REITs?

Posted: 15 Mar 2010 03:01 AM PDT

Every industry faces periods of rise and periods of decay. The last few years have, not surprisingly, been a period of decay in the REIT Area. But like nuclear stocks after 3 mile island, or banks after the savings and loan scandal, or bonds after the junk bond era, after a sector has been decimated what is often left are the high quality well managed companies that will rise to dominate the sector in the future. Is now the time for REITs?

For those not familiar with REITs they are otherwise … [visit site to read more]

Forex Trading: Gbp/Usd Approaching Full Retracement Of Friday’s Move

Posted: 15 Mar 2010 02:29 AM PDT

As stated in an earlier post, Gbp/Usd has been poised to retrace Friday's move from 1.5050 to 1.5217. The pair is not far off from a full retracement , although strong support should lie at the 1.5050-55 level, as this signifies the 200 hour M/A (1.5054)  and 100% retracement (1.5050).  not far below lies the 100 hour M/A at 1.5033. It is unlikely this first time down the pair is going to break clean through. A brief correction to 1.5100-10 is possible, though the overall outlook … [visit site to read more]

Are Women Better Investors Than Men?

Posted: 15 Mar 2010 02:01 AM PDT

What Many Men Missed: 1-year returns of 53.2% for the S&P500, and 46.8% for the DJIA ( click to enlarge)

From the NY Times, “How Men’s Overconfidence Hurts Them as Investors”:
Men and women invest differently, a growing body of research has found. And in at least one important respect, women may be better at it.

The latest data comes from Vanguard, the mutual fund company. Among 2.7 million people with I.R.A.’s at the company, it found that during the financial crisis of … [visit site to read more]

Behind The Sentiment Disparity: Main Street Vs. Wall Street

Posted: 15 Mar 2010 01:01 AM PDT

According to a gauge derived from data compiled by The American Association of Individual Investors (AAII), bullishness on U.S. stocks is beginning to emerge after the market’s rally in the past year.

The latest AAII Sentiment Survey reading shows optimists outweighed pessimists for the first time since January 2008, three months after the previous bull market ended. (See Chart from Bloomberg)

A Disparity in Sentiment

In contrast to the cheery mood of the markets, the … [visit site to read more]

Video: FCC Offers Free Broadband Speed Test

Posted: 15 Mar 2010 01:00 AM PDT

The Federal Communications Commission launched a broadband test service to help consumers clock the speed of their internet connection. … [visit site to read more]

Stock Picks For Monday: KB Home, M/I Homes, Horton DR

Posted: 15 Mar 2010 12:32 AM PDT

KB Home (NYSE:KBH)

The hot stock picks for this week will focus on homebuilding. Many stocks have broken out of their consolidation on the back of a bullish Dow Jones index. Homebuilding sector seem to be indicating a recovery in sector as the economy outlook brightens and negative news are priced in.

Technically, KB home has broken out of an inverse head and shoulder 2 weeks ago and we would expect a technical target (based on Head and Shoulder breakout ) of around $20 dollars which … [visit site to read more]

China And The Double Dip Recession

Posted: 15 Mar 2010 12:06 AM PDT

Further to my last post about Stephen Roach turning more sanguine on China and her property bubble, a number of items have created further concerns about the risks of a double-dip recession.

First, the WSJ resports that Premier Wen Jiabao warned that the world economy might face a double-dip recession, given financial-system risks and continued high unemployment in some countries.

Meanwhile, there are more and more stories about the Chinese property bubble. Consider this tidbit about the … [visit site to read more]

Breakout Industry Group - Restaurant Stocks

Posted: 15 Mar 2010 12:01 AM PDT

Many fundamental analysts look at the economic signs and read them all as pointing to a weak and even weakening recovery. These analysts offer as evidence the standard statistics we’ve all become acquainted with like negative job growth, high unemployment, continued weakness in the housing market, banks that continue to hold back on lending and a waning in consumer and business confidence. Regardless of the economic news, many retailer stocks in a range of categories (for example, apparel … [visit site to read more]

Three ETFs To Watch This Week: XLF, GXG, UUP

Posted: 15 Mar 2010 12:00 AM PDT

Despite a relative paucity in major earnings reports and regular statistical releases, the upcoming week could be a busy one for domestic and international equity markets. After conflicting reports on the health of the economy last week–retail sales figures were up but consumer confidence trended lower–all eyes will be on the Fed this week as the market searches for guidance in order to give direction to stocks in the near future.
Below is a look at three ETFs that could be on the move this … [visit site to read more]

Who Are The Major Players In The US Active ETF Space?

Posted: 14 Mar 2010 11:01 PM PDT

Till last year, people using words such as “nascent” and “pre-mature” to describe the actively-managed ETF market in the United States would have been justified in doing so. The sector attracted little attention from issuers as well as little investor assets and interest. While the assets within Active ETFs have ballooned to approximately $273 million as of March 1, 2010, the real change has been the amount of interest the space as attracted. Recent weeks have seen the floodgates open in … [visit site to read more]

4 Stages Of The Prospective US Dollar Bull Market

Posted: 14 Mar 2010 10:01 PM PDT

Since last November, the dollar has climbed steadily against a basket of currencies - most notably against the euro. And based on my analysis, I think it’s just the early stages of this trend.

In fact, for many of the reasons I’ve discussed in past Money and Markets columns, the weight of evidence suggests that we’ve likely seen the bottom in the dollar, with a multi-year bull market ahead.

That’s a high level view. But how are things shaping up on a shorter term outlook for the … [visit site to read more]

Crude Oil Prices Stagnate Amid Doubts About Global Demand

Posted: 14 Mar 2010 09:51 PM PDT

Crude oil prices tread water for the week as uncertainty about demand continued to weigh on the market. Prices were down slightly on the week, with the benchmark West Texas Intermediate settling on Friday at $81.24 a barrel, compared with $81.50 a week ago.

Not even relatively bullish forecasts for oil demand, such as the International Energy Agency’s report on Friday raising its forecast by 70,000 barrels a day for 2010, or the decline in the dollar could propel oil prices … [visit site to read more]

Top ETF Performers For The Week Ended 12 March 2010

Posted: 14 Mar 2010 09:45 PM PDT

With US equities continuing their ascent in the face of uncertainty over a major healthcare initiative, unrest in Greece and mediocre employment developments, the following ETFs performed quite strongly given the circumstances.  For the week ended 3/12/2010, here’s a snapshot of some of the best performing ETFs of both the traditional and leveraged sort:

Hottest Sector & country ETFs non-leveraged:

FBT -First Trust NYSE Arca Biotech Index - Up 5% - Biotechs have been very hot … [visit site to read more]

Charts Indicate More Upside Likely For The Euro

Posted: 14 Mar 2010 09:41 PM PDT

The Euro closed last week higher and in a position to continue the rally as financial tensions have eased enough in Greece to warrant the beginning of a short-covering rally. Technically, the main trend is up on the daily chart with 1.4009 a possible near-term target. Although most of the strength in the Euro was attributed to the easing of the financial crisis in Greece, there are rumors out there of a possible $50 billion bailout by France and Germany. If this bodes to be true, then look for … [visit site to read more]

Shaking The Tree, A Few Eclectic ETFs/ETNs.

Posted: 14 Mar 2010 09:23 PM PDT

We all enjoy searching for profit in an expanding universe of security opportunities. Sometimes it is fun to search recreationally for a few ideas, some of which are eclectic. Here are a few you may find fitting that descriptor:

FaithShares Christian Value ETF (FOC): Trading at $27.17 with a trading range since the late 2009 inception of $24.86-28.60. Average volume 2,200 shares. Yield .34% and expenses .84%. The fund is designed to invest at least 80% of assets in securities that comprise the … [visit site to read more]

Economic/Market Week In Review

Posted: 14 Mar 2010 09:01 PM PDT

No rest for the weary given the slew of developments on Wall Street, in Washington, and around the world. That said, are the markets getting tired or are they preparing to receive another jolt of government caffeine?

Welcome to our Sense on Cents Week in Review where I provide a streamlined recap of the major economic data and news, along with month-to-date market returns.

ECONOMIC DATA
Overall, we did not receive a lot of economic news this week but what we did receive was … [visit site to read more]

6 Precious Metals ETFs To Play A Weak U.S. Dollar Trend

Posted: 14 Mar 2010 09:01 PM PDT

Precious Metals ETFs may play an important role in this environment.  After years of a slowly deteriorating US dollar, the greenback found some footing during the financial crisis and is now benefiting from the financial woes in Greece which may well boil over into other Euro-zone countries.  However, this near term calamity doesn’t address the underlying fundamental problems with US currency stability, especially against rapidly growing and lower leveraged emerging markets.  With the … [visit site to read more]

Another Ticking Time Bomb

Posted: 14 Mar 2010 07:23 PM PDT

In “Safe…or Sorry?” I discussed some of the many risks municipal bond investors have been ignoring in their Quixotic quest for safety and high yields.
This week’s Barron’s details yet another financial time bomb ticking in the shadows of state and local government finances in a report by Jonathan R. Laing, entitled, “The $2 Trillion Hole”:

Promised pensions benefits for public-sector employees represent a massive overhang that threatens the financial future of many cities and states.
LIKE A … [visit site to read more]

Check This Out! This Is Great Stuff!

Posted: 14 Mar 2010 07:14 PM PDT

For the most part, I have a really knowledgeable readership, and I often don’t give you guys and gals enough credit for keeping me honest and working hard. I am grateful for the time you spend at my outpost on the internet. Yes, I do get annoyed at the absurd comments for the umteenth time, but every now and then, I come across an email or reader that points me towards something extraordinarily cool.

Glenn Holderreed is one such reader. Glenn is a subscriber to our Premium Content so I know … [visit site to read more]

Data-Sharing Between Goldman Sachs’ Prop Traders And Client Traders - A Conflict Of Interest

Posted: 14 Mar 2010 07:01 PM PDT

On Wall Street, information is everything.

Timely access to information as to who is buying/selling what, how much they are buying/selling, and why they are buying/selling is absolutely invaluable. The Wall Street banks fight tooth and nail to protect their information franchises.

That said, there are supposed to be rules as to how information is handled and processed so that trading complies with the rules of the road. Banks are not supposed to front run clients. Banks are not … [visit site to read more]
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