A number of increasing stories and analysts seem to be growing more and more cautious about the stock market. It is not that most agree we are in a great position and the economy is recovering. What they all seem to be saying is that we moved pretty fast, and the market has become a bit OVERVALUED.

For example, I took a quick glance at Seeking Alpha tonight. On their “Macro View” section, the company has a market outlook section with stories about what direction writers believe the market is going. On it, the stories are 2:1 in a negative view of the market. Now, it is always easier to be a bear when the market gets much higher and looks ready for a correction, but if most people are thinking like this…doesn’t that mean its most likely market sentiment.

The market has made some ridiculously great profits, but this week might be a bit of a weaker week. Let’s rundown what is happening this week, what to expect, and what will shape this market’s red and green days.

To start, over the weekend, the big news we got was the shutting down of Colonial Bank. Colonial Bank was a major mortgage lender out of Montgomery, AL. The bank closing was the largest of the year, and the sixth largest of all time. The company had over $20 billion in assets. This is not some measly mom and pop joint. This was a large, second tier, regional bank. BB&T Corp. will be taking over the bank, but this should have some very adverse effects in the market. Especially, since financials have had such a strong run as of late.

One of the most defining economic data points for the week will be housing data. Monthly information on building permits, housing starts, and existing home sales for the month of July will be released. While I cannot venture to guess which way they will go, my one worry is that housing has had a great run. If the data is not exceptional, will it mean the housing sector could come unwinding. Plus, with how exceptional and unexpected last month’s numbers were, could the data be a bit overreaching.

Another important aspect of this week is the retail earnings. Big names in retail continue to release earnings. What we saw last week was good earnings that beat expectations, but there weren’t any home runs. Yet, the market reacted like…
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