Market Uptrend, Sound Trading, and How to Buy Stocks; --Thread April 26, 2015

Investors Busniness Daily ^ | April 26, 2015 | Freeper Investors

[expat_panama]

 

Happy Thursday folks!  Looks like everything's falling back to their bases as stocks settle into 50-day moving averages and metals return to their perches.  The S&P volume rose increasing its distribution count (any bets on a return to 'market under pressure'?) while gold'n'silver now trade at $1,204.38 and $16.62.  Futures at a couple hours before opening: stock indexes -0.33%, metals -0.28%.  Big day today:

Weekly jobless claims
Employment cost index
Personal income
Consumer spending
Core inflation
Chicago PMI
 

FOMC - the day after Nick Mastrandrea - Market Tea Leaves - 2 hrs ago Yesterday the markets dropped with the FOMC meeting.  Will it rebound today?  Read on to learn more... (full story)
Stock Index Futures Recovery Likely this Afternoon Alan Bush - Archer Financial Services - Wed Apr 29, 8:45AM CDT Futures quickly fell on news of the weaker than estimated U.S. gross domestic product report. (full story)
Here’s why oil is rallying to its highest level this year
World shares fall after US reports meager 1Q growth World stock markets were mostly lower Thursday after the U.S. economy skidded to a near halt in the first three months of the year and Japan's central bank held off from expanding its monetary stimulus. ...
It's a bull market, but neutrality is best: Gartman

This Is a Better Way to Sell In May, Go Away - Mark Hulbert, MarketWatch

[Lurkina.n.Learnin]

That chart says a lot. It’s the difference between a robust recovery and this lackadaisical one we have been in.

[expat_panama]

Yeah, it really made me double take/triple take.  They even started a thread on it: OBAMA vs. REAGAN on GDP GROWTH — NOT EVEN CLOSE.  Of course it shouldn't be surprising to us because we've been following the labor market's nuts'n'bolts, thing is though that we're contantly hearing the party faithful spout how wonderful things are that the eventual reality check is always a shock.

[Chgogal]

OK, NOW I am pi$$ed!!!!!!

http://finance.yahoo.com/news/millennials-could-damage-u-economy-100000115.html

The study shows that even our top-performing millennials are not measuring up to their counterparts overseas. Further, the gap between America’s highest- and lowest-performing workers is among the largest. The study suggests that such a disparity can lead to dire consequences, including “mistrust in government, decreased civic engagement, increased rates of incarceration, poor health, obesity, addiction and more”

Here is the cirirculum of my old grade school:
http://ravenswoodelementary.org/social-and-emotional-learning/

Just maybe, if the damn left wing teachers’ unions would teach the 3 Rs, we'd be better off!

[expat_panama]

data from the Programme for the International Assessment of Adult Competencies (PIACC), which showed that American millennials are badly lagging behind in numeracy, literacy and problem-solving skills

Not to worry.  The "Programme" people are just saying that to make the Brits feel better in the face of the fact that U.K. workers in general are so unproductive.  The marketplace knows full well how the OECD.StatExtracts list average U.K. production at less than 74% that of American workers.

[Chgogal]

Yesterday, some school in Chicago has a huge roach problem. They have to close the kitchen down since the buggers nested in the kitchen floors. The teachers they interviewed looked and sounded so dim witted.

My Chicago Public School teachers were from the Pre-Greatest Generation and the Greatest Generation. They were strict, tough, demanding and made us work our butts off. They were not our friends, they were our betters. I still remember Mrs. Murphy telling us, “Don't memorize the answer. Figure out how to solve the problem. I won't be with you your whole life. Learn to think.”

So, I looked up my old grammar school. What I saw at the site gave me no confidence. Social-emotional learning my .........

[expat_panama]

Individual schools come and go but the American people as a whole not only endure but prosper. My old grade school (K-8) is now a middle school w/ new buildings and an expanded lot. Those things change but as a whole America for hundreds of years has been and continues to be a powerhouse.

Detractors can say what they want but the world continues to choose an American education for themselves and an American degree for those they hire. This speaks well not only for America's universities but also for America's K-12 schools that send a far bigger % into universities than any other system in the world.

[Chgogal]

I think the public schools both at the K-12 and at the University Level are crap. I don't care how good we were yesterday. Look at the pis poor leadership a la Obama and Rawlings-Blake? In the olden days America believed anyone could get ahead through hard work and gumption. Now it is based on other things like affirmative action. It is not based on merit. You may think it's not a big deal. But it is. The best are not floating to the top it is the mediocre who are.

[expat_panama]

Happy Friday everyone and MAYDAY! MAYDAY! MAYDAY!   Yeah, May 1, but also because our "confirmed uptrend" went down the tubes yesterday changing to "uptrend under pressure" in soaring volume and crashing indexes:  S&P -1%, NASDAQ -1.6%.  Looks like precious metals tanked also w/ gold -1.71% to $1,179 and silver -2.66% to $16.15.  Humph.  At least furures are upbeat: stocks +0.43% metals +0.03% ('dead cat bounce'?) and we get more econ announcements to help us out:

Markit PMI
ISM
Construction spending
Consumer sentiment
Motor vehicle sales

• April 2015 FOMC Minutes Set Bearish Tone For USD Seeking Alpha - 4:00am April 2015 FOMC minutes are surprisingly bearish as they clearly acknowledged the numerous weaknesses in the US economy. This is dampened by the FOMC's view that this is due to transitory factors related to winter, energy prices, and import prices.
• Dollar dips, trade thins on May Day after stormy week A holiday in most of Europe on Friday thinned trade after a tumultuous week which has seen the dollar collapse in value, bond yields soar and stock markets in Europe and the United States weaken. The action, driven on by shockingly poor U.S. first quarter growth numbers on Wednesday, sent the dollar down 6 percent in just over a week, Bund yields racked up the biggest two-day jump since the depths of the euro zone…
• Why Europe QE might end sooner than thought
• A 6 Point Plan to Restore Prosperity - John Mauldin & Stephen Moore, IBD
• The Fed Wanted Credit & Debt Recovery, Got Nothing - Jeff Snider, RCM
• Why has the U.S. GDP Stalled?
• The One Thing That Can Stop Moore's Law - Bret Swanson, TechPolicyDaily

[expat_panama]

...K-12 and at the University Level are crap. I don't care how good we were yesterday...

That's a point of view that's been held many (if not most) people for a long time.  I'm remembering getting lectured when I was in high school by some old guy about how terrible education was "these days" but back when he was in school...

[1010RD]

I think to Chicago Democrats the word ‘magnet’ means attracting all kinds of dumb ideas.