New Video: Is Russia the New Face of Capitalism?

Hello traders everywhere! Adam Hewison here, co-founder of MarketClub with your mid-day market update for Monday, the 7th of January.

Let me start by wishing everyone a happy and prosperous 2013! I hope you all enjoyed the break and were able to celebrate Christmas time and the start of the New Year with your families.

IS RUSSIA THE NEW FACE OF CAPITALISM?
Well, you may or may not have heard that Gerard Depardieu, the French movie actor, recently become a Russian citizen and now has a Russian passport. It was purely an economic decision in his case, because he didn't want to pay the 75% rate of tax imposed by François Hollande on millionaires. Taxes in Russia are 13%!

The country who has the lowest taxes usually does well, as 75% of nothing is after all nothing! Continue reading "New Video: Is Russia the New Face of Capitalism?"

New Video: Fiscal Boom?

Hello traders everywhere! Jeremy Lutz here with your mid-day market update for Wednesday, the 2nd of January.

Stocks continue to see considerable strength after moving sharply higher at the open. The markets continue to benefit from a positive reaction to news of the last-minute fiscal cliff deal in Washington, but will it last?

The news about the fiscal cliff agreement has largely overshadowed a report from the Institute for Supply Management showing a rebound by manufacturing activity in the month of December.

The ISM said its purchasing managers index climbed to 50.7 in December from 49.5 in November, with a reading above 50 indicating an expansion by the manufacturing sector. Economists had expected the index to climb to 50.5.

A separate report from the Commerce Department showed an unexpected drop in construction spending in the month of November.

Let's see what the Trade Triangles say about the markets today.

Every Success,
Jeremy Lutz

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New Video: The Fiscal Cliff is Looming

Hello traders everywhere! Jeremy Lutz here with your mid-day market update for Friday, the 21st of December.

The markets have made a sharp move lower today. The pullback reflects renewed concerns that the U.S. could be pushed over the looming fiscal cliff. While optimism about a potential budget agreement helped to drive stocks higher earlier in the week, traders are expressing renewed concerns about the fiscal cliff following the latest developments in Washington.

The Commerce Department said durable goods orders increased by 0.7 percent in November following a 1.1 percent increase in October. Economists had expected orders to increase by 0.5 percent, matching the increase that had been reported for the previous month.

Excluding a 1.1 percent drop in orders for transportation equipment, durable goods orders surged up by 1.6 percent in November compared to a 1.9 percent jump in October.

The Commerce Department also released a separate report showing a much bigger than expected increase in personal income in November.

Let's see what the Trade Triangles say about the markets today.

Every Success,
Jeremy Lutz

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New Video: Waiting on a compromise

Hello traders everywhere! Jeremy Lutz here with your mid-day market update for Thursday, the 20th of December.

The big news of that day is that the NYSE Euronext, the parent of the New York Stock Exchange, planned to sell itself to IntercontinentalExchange, an upstart and lesser-known exchange operator based in Atlanta. NYSE Euronext's stock surged 34 percent. IntercontinentalExchange fell to a low of $123.46. That signals traders think the proposed deal could be more beneficial to NYSE Euronext than to its potential buyer. The marriage still needs the approval of regulators, and it isn't clear if they'll offer it.

Uncertainty about the approaching fiscal cliff is still heavily weighing on the markets today as the deadline approaches. In other news, The National Association of Realtors said existing home sales rose 5.9 percent to an annual rate of 5.04 million in November from a downwardly revised 4.76 million in October. Economists had expected existing home sales to climb to 4.90 million.

With the bigger than expected increase, existing home sales rose to their highest level since spiking to 5.44 million in November of 2009.

Let's see what the Trade Triangles say about the markets today.

Every Success,
Jeremy Lutz

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New Video: Optimism turns to uncertainty

Hello traders everywhere! Jeremy Lutz here with your mid-day market update for Wednesday, the 19th of December.

The optimism that fueled yesterdays rally turned to uncertainty today as traders take a breather. Traders are keeping a close eye on developments in Washington, as U.S. government continues to work toward an agreement to avoid the looming fiscal cliff.

While signs of progress toward a compromise helped to drive stocks higher earlier in the week, traders may be waiting for more concrete signs of an agreement.

On the economic front, the Commerce Department released a report before the start of trading showing that U.S. housing starts came in below economist estimates in November.

The report said housing starts fell 3.0 percent to an annual rate of 861,000 in November from the revised October estimate of 888,000. Economists had expected housing starts to fall to 865,000 from the 894,000 originally reported for the previous month.

At the same time, the Commerce Department said building permits rose 3.6 percent to an annual rate of 899,000 in November from the revised October rate of 868,000.

Let's see what the Trade Triangles say about the markets today.

Every Success,
Jeremy Lutz

 

Click Here to view today's video