We are getting just the kind of trading that would be expected: modest rally on shreds of good news, met with selling (or just buyers stepping away) midday. Remember the basic facts of the market: 1) stocks are oversold, 2) traders are extremely bearish, and 3) "sell into rallies" remains the dominant trading motif.    Read More

There's a good chance stocks could hold onto some of their positive tone Wednesday, and maybe even into Thursday, as traders search the rubble for bargains.    Read More

Fortune Brands is down 6 percent after lowering their earnings guidance for Q2 and the full year--yes that Fortune Brands that owns liquor (Jim Beam, Maker's Mark, Canadian Club, Sauza, Courvoisier), golf equipment (Titleist, Cobra), and home products (Moen, MasterBrand cabinets).    Read More

The Dow closed lower on Tuesday with stocks slipping on concerns about the economy after consumer confidence fell to a 16-year low. What's the "Word on the Street?"   Read More

1) Reliance Steel just jumped 5 percent as they updated guidance, raising it 30 percent from previous guidance, due to much higher increases in carbon steel prices.    Read More

Following are the day’s biggest winners and losers. Find out why shares of Petrochina and AIG popped while Sirius and UBS dropped.   Read More

Why trying to solve both problems at the same time could lead to disaster.   Read More

Not surprisingly, market technicians who were bullish two weeks ago are in a state of despair. Talk about minor support at 1,350 for the S&P 500 is half-hearted at best; the truth is that other than the March closing bottom of 1,273 there is no one willing to draw many lines in the sand here.    Read More

We are down three out of four days and the uptrend that began with the March bottom has now been broken. Many financials like Lehman are already sitting at or near their March lows.    Read More

The original bid for Alitalia by Air France-KLM was based on an oil price of $86 a barrel, according to the Deputy CEO of Air France, in an interview on CNBC Europe. Those talks were shelved a month ago, but at $120 to $130, the Deputy CEO said that Air France-KLM would have to come up with a more "difficult and demanding" business plan.    Read More