If Mr. and Mrs. Glocxvwfe from Mars cruised here for a vacation, and the two of them watched our financial news for a week or two, one might turn to the other and say, “How did these earthlings make it this far?” Sometimes I wonder the same thing. We earthlings are, without a doubt, contradictory, perplexing, and able to mentally spin on a dime. For example, last Friday, the whole Middle East was on the verge of collapse, and the market reacted. Today (Tuesday), the focus of that drama has shifted to the rising price of food and energy in less developed countries, such as Egypt. The collapse is out, global inflation is in, and the market is reacting, in the other direction.
Rising food and fuel prices in recent months have already hit poorer countries and are one of the factors behind massive anti-government protests in Egypt and in Tunisia …
Yes, today the market is up, oil is down, and everyone has turned attention back to the economic fundamentals, which are, by any measure, ticking up in almost every category.
NEW YORK (Reuters) – Stocks rose on Tuesday as solid manufacturing data in the United States and Europe helped investors turn their attention away from the turmoil in the Middle East to hopes that a global economic recovery was on track. The U.S. manufacturing sector expanded at its fastest pace since May 2004 in January, and prices paid jumped more than expected …
GM sales roared past expectations and Chrysler has turned the corner. Consumer spending is up and Japan’s industrial production is up again. UPS beats expectations and forecasts record-high earnings for 2011 and small business borrowing jumps up, along with business confidence.
I am an earthling, no doubt about it, but sometimes I think I should go back to Mars with the Glocxvwfes. Sometimes, I feel like a skipping CD, the same section of a song playing over and over again. Sometimes I wish I could mentally spin on a dime. If I could, I would feel less like an alien from another planet and more like one of “us.” I would stop talking about the cyclical nature of economics. I would stop pointing out the positives about our economy and begin pounding the negative. But I can’t. Even though housing and employment are not where we want and need them to be, I can’t. I cannot because these two laggards need all these other economic factors moving in the right direction before they can turn around, and things are moving in the right direction more certainly every month. And then there is this –
NEW YORK – Three of the nation’s biggest technology companies are committing hundreds of millions of dollars to an initiative backed by President Barack Obama to encourage job creation and economic growth by supporting small businesses. The program, called the Startup America Partnership, is aimed at helping entrepreneurs start businesses and help them grow.
So, hang in with me. Soon enough, the skipping will end, and I will move on, but not to Mars. I kinda like it here, especially as we progress into the coming year.
Trade in the day – Invest in your life
