Sande

"Matchbox"

2009-07-16T00:01:00.001-04:00

Carl Perkins

Schultz Challenges Limbaugh

2009-07-15T21:52:00.000-04:00

Visit msnbc.com for Breaking News, World News, and News about the Economy

Nikkei Opens Higher On Thursday

2009-07-15T21:08:00.002-04:00

There is a rally in progress. Everyone knows at this point though that the footing is still shaky no matter what the Fed says. Initial quarterly reports have been fair but there are many more reports to come.

"You have record low levels of stock ownership and so on these kinds of days you see people pile in."

...while the start to the financial reporting period was positive, it is too early to do a victory lap regarding second-quarter results. source

Reuters: Nikkei gains 1.4 pct on yen, U.S. earnings optimism

Krugman On Colbert

2009-07-15T19:11:00.000-04:00

The Colbert Report

Mon - Thurs 11:30pm / 10:30c

Paul Krugman

www.colbertnation.com

Colbert Report Full Episodes

Political Humor

Jeff Goldblum

Wise Latina On Trial

2009-07-15T16:44:00.000-04:00

Uighur Film

2009-07-15T16:36:00.002-04:00

People that are opposed to the Chinese occupation of Tibet may very well also support the Uighurs.

The region is under Chinese control like Tibet and like Tibetans, the Uighurs are seeking political freedom.

George Bush actually made it easier for China to label the Uighurs who want freedom as terrorists. Several innocent Uighurs also turned up at Gitmo to the dismay of many in the world community.

BBC: China tries to block Uighur film

The film, Ten Conditions of Love, centres on Rebiya Kadeer, the US-based head of the World Uighur Congress.

"No-one reacts well to strident approaches, or to the appearance of being bullied. I don't think it's a positive way of behaving..."

TPMtv - Obama On Health Care Reform

2009-07-15T16:31:00.000-04:00

Huge Jump

2009-07-15T16:12:00.003-04:00

The DOW gained 256 to close at 8,616 and the S&P gained 26 to close at 932. That's amazing.

The talk of the day still centers around Intel for one thing. However there is an interesting Reuters article on Intel's numbers.

Reuters: Don't read too much into Intel's success: Eric Auchard

Partly, this was merely the "snapback" that occurred after Intel throttled back production to as low as 25 percent of factory capacity in the first quarter, amid a glut of unsold chips and shriveling demand.

Intel is benefiting from healthy demand in China and -- to a lesser extent -- the United States, among consumers rather than businesses. But these are not swing factors for the likes of Nokia, IBM or Google.

In addition to the news from Intel, oil gained simply because US inventories have dropped. The US is still the world's largest user of oil therefor its time to go shopping for oil. Also oil is central to the rise and fall of most stock market activity. So a 3% bump in crude prices gets the market churning.

Reuters: Oil jumps over 3 percent after fall in U.S. crude inventories

Oil rose more than 3 percent to over $61 a barrel on Wednesday, supported by falling U.S. crude oil inventories and economic optimism following positive U.S. data.

Finally there is also mention of manufacturing data that suggests the recession is easing. The following Reuters article does not amplify this data but hopefully more specific information will come forward.

Reuters: Wall St jumps as Intel, data boost sentiment

Optimism was further reinforced by manufacturing data that suggested the recession is abating, as well as minutes from the Federal Reserve's most recent policy-setting meeting that showed officials judged that the economic contraction was slowing.

The President's Chuck

2009-07-15T08:24:00.001-04:00

Reuters News Clips

2009-07-15T08:19:00.001-04:00

The Market On Wednesday

2009-07-15T08:06:00.003-04:00

Intel has allegedly activated an optimistic turn in the investor's lustful heart.

Futures are up this morning, rather high up we might add. This is a surprising turn based on the extremely gloomy predictions from last week about worrisome and bothersome corporate quarterly results primed to turn the markets south, or as they like to call it - a correction. Kinky.

The moment seems to be positive but that dreaded correction really is still looming large. Green shoots may be made out of astroturf. So the long run is still not clear sailing.

Unfortunately futures have no meaning around 4pm. This is a fickle beast lately and even though futures are up surprisingly high, as more corporate and consumer pricing data comes in over the course of the day, things can change fast.

Having said all this we might suspect that the day will end on a positive note. I'd say the odds are about 50.6 to 49.4, gains.

Reuters: Stock futures jump as Intel spurs optimism

...as Intel Corp's solid results and upbeat outlook reinforced hopes for an economic recovery...

In Europe, major indexes were up almost 2 percent.

"Dream"

2009-07-15T00:01:00.000-04:00

John Cage performed by pianist Stephen Drury.

This is a piece written in 1948. Cage would be around 36 at the time. Listeners to Cage's early works are surprised to hear such lyricism and compelling use of simple tonality.

DenunciaRush.com - Limbaugh

2009-07-14T21:59:00.000-04:00

Tough Fight

2009-07-14T21:43:00.003-04:00

"Breaking the Silence" is a group of Israeli soldiers talking about war tactics used in Palestine.

McClatchy: 'Everyone is your enemy,' Israeli soldiers in Gaza told

Israeli combat soldiers have acknowledged that they forced Palestinian civilians to serve as human shields, needlessly killed unarmed Gazans and improperly used white phosphorus shells to burn down buildings as part of Israel's three-week military offensive in the Gaza Strip last winter.

The Israel Defense Forces dismissed the report.

Michael Sfard, an Israeli human rights attorney who reviewed the testimony, said the stories reflected a "dramatic change in the ethos" of the Israeli military that portrays itself as the most moral army in the world.

"What we are seeing now is a deterioration of our moral values and red lines," Sfard said. "This is a dramatic change in heart and values."

Nikkei Opens Higher On Wednesday

2009-07-14T21:01:00.000-04:00

Reuters: Nikkei up 0.3 pct after upbeat Goldman, Intel results

TPMtv - Sotomajor

2009-07-14T17:52:00.001-04:00

Modest Bump

2009-07-14T17:42:00.003-04:00

The DOW and S&P had slight gains today, 27 and 4 respectively. The DOW is now at 8,359.

The reports are mixed, some banks are doing great, consumer spending is weaker last month, car sales are better, etc etc.

The question that arises is this. Last week we read all kinds of dire predictions about this next quarter. We read about a need for the market to shed some points in light of no compelling information that indicates the recession is shriveling up and going away. So is this still relevant or are we simply stringing it along on day to day activity.

We also still need to be mindful of the fact that many market related articles are written in order to place misinformation out there and manipulate the environment.

Reuters: Wall St up as earnings offset retail data; Intel soars

...better-than-expected corporate profits overshadowed concerns about weak consumer demand.

...Intel reported results after the bell that surpassed expectations...

Competing positive and negative earnings reports tempered each other, keeping the markets range-bound.

Catching On

2009-07-14T17:35:00.003-04:00

Okay my Republican brothers and sisters, you are catching on.

Palin is starting to draw low polling numbers from her alleged base. The base has flipped, and now Republicans themselves have come to realize that Palin is not capable of effectively serving as president.

Up to this point objectivity had been placed on hold.

Unfortunately America has a fleeting attention span and information like this has never stopped someone like a Sarah Palin from forging on.

Keep up the good work Republicans, next stop - Limbaugh.

CNN: Poll: Majority of Republicans don't think Palin's qualified for prez

Only 33 percent of Republicans questioned in a CBS News survey released Monday night say that Palin would have the ability to serve effectively as president. Last fall, 71 percent of registered Republicans felt that way.

Fast

2009-07-14T08:00:00.002-04:00

Reuters News Clips

2009-07-14T08:00:00.001-04:00

The Market On Tuesday

2009-07-14T07:45:00.003-04:00

The experts are predicting that retail sales numbers and Goldman Sachs' quarterly numbers are going to be good.

European markets are already responding positively.

The data is officially out before the bell rings at 9am.

It appears that for the short term the market is in for a rally, unless the experts are completely off the mark and sometimes they clearly are. Recall when experts predicted that unemployment was slowing two weeks ago, then the harsh numbers came in and sent the market tumbling.

What can we say, banks are having a profitable period. The DOW is presently at 8,331.

Reuters: Stock futures flat before retail sales, Goldman

According to a Reuters poll of economists, June retail sales are expected to rise 0.4 percent, versus an increase of 0.5 percent in May. Excluding autos, retail sales are seen matching the prior month's 0.5 percent gain.

And in Europe -

Reuters: Equities climb ahead of Goldman earnings

LONDON - A burst of confidence in U.S. financial stocks lifted global equities on Tuesday ahead of results for bellwether Goldman Sachs.

At the same time, the VIX .VIX volatility index, sometimes called the fear gauge, had its biggest daily percentage drop since March 10, the day this year's stock market rally started.

"Pump It Up"

2009-07-14T00:01:00.000-04:00

Elvis Costello

"Rejuvenique Electric Facial Mask"

2009-07-13T22:46:00.000-04:00

"Primal Fear"

2009-07-13T20:55:00.000-04:00

Richard Gere and Ed Norton

Nikkei Opens Higher On Tuesday

2009-07-13T20:45:00.003-04:00

Don't you just love it, banks are raking it in and the news sends Wall Street flying today.

Meanwhile, the country is bleeding jobs, poverty is on the rise, and one can presume foreclosures are continuing on schedule. Homelessness is back.

Fortunately tons of wealth was transferred into the hands of a few elite power players just in the nick of time. They can sit back on junior's private island while we sweat the small stuff.

Reuters: Nikkei rises 1.4 pct after bank optimism lifts Wall St