Daily Investment Interpretations

February 25, 2010

2010-2-25  The markets have resisted well the thorny economic news that greeted investors this morning. The NASDAQ Composite bled 1.68 points, (-0.08%) to close at 2,234.22, the Dow sank 53.13 points (-0.51%) to close at 10,321.03, and the S&P 500 split the difference at 2.3 points (-0.21%) to close at 1,102.94. Oil closed at $78.17 a barrel. Gold gained $11, ending the day at $1,108. The VIX fell 0.17 to 20.10.
    Stock market futures are up a little tonight.

2010-2-25 (Mid-Morning):  Given the worrisome character of today's opening, it might be worth mentioning that my leading investment advisory service estimates that Fed Chairman  Ben Bernanke's reassurance that no rate hikes are in the offing is trumping poor economic news. Mark Hulbert adds to this optimism by observing that consumer confidence tends to bottom out shortly after an economic turnaround is underway: Darkness before dawn. Stocks faced more bad news this morning: U.S. stocks dig selves hole.