Daily Investment Interpretations

March 4, 2010

2010-3-4:  The markets advanced today. The NASDAQ Composite ended up at 11.63 points, (0.51%) to close at 2,292.31, the Dow added 47.38 points (0.46%) to close at 10,444.14, and the S&P 500 climbed 4.18 points (0.37%) to close at 1,122.97. Oil closed up at $80.62 a barrel. Gold slipped to $1,134. The VIX fell 0.11 to 18.72.
     The news? U.S. jobless claims fall, halting run of advances, Productivity picks up pace, 30-year fixed-rate mortgage back below 5%, and U.S. factory orders rise 1.7% in January. Of course, the news wasn't all peaches and cream. There was also Monster's online employment index on the rise, and Pending home sales fall 7.6% in January.
     Stock market futures are slightly positive tonight. Meanwhile, the China Halter Index has turned up, and the China and Emerging Markets Report recommends buying back into Chinese stocks.