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One Algorithm Made Up 4% Of All Trading Last Week, And No One Knows Where It Came From Linette LopezOctober 8, 2012 No one knows where it came from, or what it was meant to do, but 4% of all trading in the U.S. stock market last week was executed by one algorithm, CNBC reports. Nanex, a market data firm, told CNBC that the algorithm was placing orders once every 25 milliseconds and then canceling them. The orders went out in bursts of 200, then 400, and then 1,000 orders. Then suddenly, around 10:30 AM on Friday, the algorithm stopped...

Doug Kass Isn't Impressed. He Plans On Shorting Stocks Rob WileSep. 6, 2012, 2:12 PM Doug Kass "I plan to sell/short this news for several basic reasons," writes Doug Kass, President of Seabreeze Partners. In a new note published on The Street, Kass writes that he's not very impressed by Mario Draghi's announcement that the ECB would begin unlimited bond-buying program. "Not only is Europe slipping more rapidly into a deeper recession but the implementation of serious and effective longer-term policy responses remains unlikely. Band-Aid policy measures of providing liquidity (which aids the transmission of monetary policy) remain the operative...

This Market Looks Like A Buying Panic Julia La RocheSep. 6, 2012, 11:51 AM Stocks surged Thursday morning, with the S&P 500 hitting its highest level since 2008, following a slew of good jobs reports and the European Central Bank press conference led by Mario Draghi. A trader, who prefers anonymity, offers a plausible explanation as to why the market might be rallying. "We've had some data, which superficially appears to show some strength. There are a lot of shorts built into this market heading into ECB and they have been forced to cover on the back of ECB putting...

STOCKS STAGE GINORMOUS RALLY: Here's What You Need To Know Simone Foxman June 6, 2012Markets across the world staged a major rally today, and central banks are at the center of the chatter. But first, your scoreboard: Dow: 12,398; +271 pts S&P 500: 1,312; +27 pts NASDAQ: 2,841; +63 pts Now for the day's top stories: * Markets began rallying in the pre-market after WSJ's star Federal Reserve reporter John Hilsenrath wrote last night that euro woes, disappointing economic data, and strains in financial markets "have prompted a shift at the Federal Reserve, putting back on the table the possibility...

NEW YORK (CNNMoney) -- U.S. stocks sank more than 1.6% at Friday's open, with the Dow erasing all its gains for the year and the 10-year yield on U.S. Treasuries hitting another record low, after a U.S. jobs report fell far short of expectations. The jobs report showed only 69,000 jobs added to payrolls, less than half the 150,000 jobs forecast by economists surveyed by CNNMoney. The unemployment rate ticked higher for the first time in a year, rising to 8.2%. "The U.S. employment report was simply terrible," said Marc Chandler, global head of currency strategy at Brown Brothers Harriman....

NEW YORK (CNNMoney) -- U.S. stocks finished in the red Thursday, ending a wretched month on a weak note. "May is always a difficult month for the market, and this month has lived up to that reputation," said Fred Dickson, chief market strategist at D.A. Davidson, noting that the market has suffered declines in May for three out of the last four years. This month's weakness was by sparked escalating concerns about the eurozone debt crisis, with Spain and Greece keeping contagion worries front and center, as well as fears about a slowing U.S. economy. CNNMoney's Fear & Greed Index,...

NEW YORK (CNNMoney) -- Stocks fell sharply Wednesday as worries about Europe's debt crisis, specifically the Spanish banking system, again shook confidence. Investors flooded into U.S. Treasuries, raising prices and pushing the yield on the benchmark 10-year note down to a record low of 1.63%. Oil prices fell to a 7-month low amid the broad flight from risk assets. The Dow Jones industrial average (INDU) was down 143 points, or 1.1%, in late morning trading. The S&P 500 (SPX) sank 17 points, or 1.2%, and the Nasdaq (COMP) declined 33 points, or 1.2%. Alcoa (AA, Fortune 500), Caterpillar (CAT, Fortune...

Richard Russell: Stay In Cash, Something, Something 'BIG' Is Heading Our Way Joe Weisenthal May 24, 2012, 6:34 AM Bearish newsletter guy Richard Russell finds the market action to be very strange and ominous. As of today's closing, Dow down 14 out of 16 sessions! This is one you can tell your kids about. And still no collapse in breadth, and still no crash. The only thing I can make out of it is that a lot of people are "standing their ground". Maybe it's just the Dow that is dying, and the rest of the market is OK. But...

The DJIA is off over 100 points, 136 points, to 12,686. The NASDAQ and S&P 500 are off by similar percentages. The carnage is particularly severe in a few sectors. News that JP Morgan (NYSE: JPM) fired its chief investment officer reminded investors of how badly risk is managed at large banks. JPM has taken a $2 billion write-off its London traders took. JPM is down 2.81% to $35.90.Back of America (NYSE: BAC) is down 2% on similar sentiment about risk to $7.39, and Citigroup (NYSE: C) is down 2%. Morgan Stanley (NYSE: MS) is down 3.4%. Its debt will...

NEW YORK (CNNMoney) -- U.S. stocks fell Friday after a government report showed that employers added fewer than expected jobs in April. Dow Jones industrial average (INDU) was down 114 points, or 0.8%, in morning trading. The S&P 500 (SPX) fell 15 points, or 1%, and the Nasdaq (COMP) fell 53 points, or 1.5%. The jobs report showed a net gain of 115,000 jobs, far less than the 160,000 forecast by economists surveyed by CNNMoney. However, upward revisions to the February and March jobs figures and a drop in the unemployment rate to 8.1% may temper some of investors' disappointment...

NEW YORK (CNNMoney) -- U.S. stocks fell 1% Monday as investors grew concerned about European political uncertainty and another sign of a slowdown in the Chinese economy. France's prime minister Nicolas Sarkozy came in second place in the first round of presidential elections Sunday, and on Monday, Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte resigned. That combined with a slowdown in China's manufacturing was enough to unnerve investors at the start of what will be a busy week on the economic and earnings front. "The events over the weekend re-ignited concerns that the European community is going to have trouble working out...

NEW YORK (CNNMoney) -- U.S. stocks sold off Monday as investors reconsidered the outlook for economic growth following a disappointing jobs report last week. In addition, a higher-than-expected reading on inflation in China added to the worries. The Dow Jones industrial average (INDU) was down 147 points, or 1%, in early trading. The S&P 500 (SPX) tumbled 16 points, or 1.2%, and Nasdaq (COMP) slid 32 points, or 1%. On Friday, the Labor Department said the U.S. economy added 120,000 jobs in March, following three straight monthly gains of 200,000 jobs or more, a trend that economists expected would continue....

JPMorgan's Tom Lee: One Thing Puzzles Me About This Stock Market Rally Sam Ro April 1, 2012, 9:44 PM No one has made any money on it! JP Morgan's Tom Lee spoke with Bloomberg's Carol Massar on Friday after the S&P 500 booked its best quarter in 14 years. "Something that's been puzzling about this rally that started in March '09 is that the public hasn't really participated," said Lee. "They pulled $300 billion out of the equity markets over the last three years. And trading volumes have been low, which means the institutions haven't really been participating in this...

ROSENBERG & SRI-KUMAR: A Eurozone Endgame Could Spur A 2000-Point Rally In The Dow Simone Foxman Dec. 1, 2011, 1:17 PM Gluskin Sheff + Associates' David Rosenberg and TCW's chief strategist Komal Sri-Kumar agreed on Bloomberg TV today that the Dow could see as much as a 2000-point move if somehow EU leaders managed to tackle the solvency issues at the heart of the eurozone crisis at their summit next week. Rosenberg and Sri-Kumar both poo-pooed yesterday's nearly 400-point rally in the Dow after the announcement of coordinated central bank liquidity measures. "When I look back at the historical data...

CHICAGO PMI BEATS EXPECTATIONS: DOW NOW UP 375 Joe Weisenthal Nov. 30, 2011, 9:45 AM The good news keeps rolling in. The Chicago PMI came in at 62.6, well ahead of expectations of 58.5. The Dow is up 380 now. Stocks were already surging thanks to major central bank intervention, as well as a strong ADP number.

NEW YORK (CNNMoney) -- Investors ran for the hills Wednesday, shaken to the core by fears that Italy, Europe's fourth-largest economy, was headed deeper into crisis mode. U.S. stocks sold off sharply right from the open after Italy's 10-year bond yield spiked above 7% -- its highest since the euro was launched in 1999. The 7% figure is a psychological trigger for investors since it was the level that heightened worries about Greece, Ireland and Portugal. All three eventually needed some type of bailout. The selling intensified in the afternoon amid reports that European Union officials said they have no...

NEW YORK (CNNMoney) -- U.S. stocks sold off sharply Tuesday after Greece's prime minister called for an unexpected public vote to approve Europe's debt deal. Investors fear the referendum will jeopardize the deal, since it includes austerity cuts that have not been popular with the Greek public. At midday, the Dow Jones industrial average (INDU) was down 302 points, or 2.5%, the S&P 500 (SPX) sank 36 points, or 2.9%, and the Nasdaq (COMP) lost 83 points, or 3.1%. Bank stocks were hit especially hard, with shares of Morgan Stanley (MS, Fortune 500) down more than 9% and Citigroup (C,...

STOCKS TANK IN FINAL MINUTES OF THE DAY: Here's What You Need To Know Sam Ro Oct. 7, 2011, 4:00 PM More signs that the U.S. economy is not as bad as everyone thought. But, big downgrades in Europe bring us back to reality. First, the scoreboard: Dow: -18 S&P 500: -10 NASDAQ: -27 And now, the top stories: * The highly-anticipated September jobs data came out with a bang. U.S. companies added 103k non-farm payrolls. Economists expected just 60k. The July and August figures were both revised upwards. However, the unemployment rate was unchanged at 9.1%, which wasn't a...

REBOUND GONE: Europe Dives Into The Red, US Futures Slip Gus Lubin Sep. 23, 2011, 6:33 AM So much for the stabilization after Thursday's selloff. European markets have lost early gains, with the FTSE 100, the CAC 40 and the DAX off over 1%. Last night's unexpected G-20 statement pledging to take strong coordinated actions to support Europe apparently was not convincing. Dow futures point to a negative open, losing early gains of nearly 100 points. Here's a chart:

A dearth of knife-catchers and bottom-callers suggests that our views on a broad swathe of investors being caught unhedged and offside by Bernanke's relative inaction was correct. By the look of today's huge selloff, investors will become increasingly aware of our recent post on the difference (risks) between owning stocks and bonds. The equity market remains a market in chaos as the following charts show. We can only assume they must be extremely good at discounting whatever it is that talking-heads believe on a tick-by-tick basis - just look at the flip-flopping in the last two months (and in...