It's increasingly believed among participants that the Fed will skip the next meeting, and possibly one more by the end of the year. |
Maybe now there's enough fear out there to form a base to rally again. |
Over the last four years the Fed has played the part of a surrealistic painter, creating a dreamy backdrop with generously low interest rates. |
People are taking some comfort in results and a feeling that the economy is getting better, but there's still some caution. We need to see more evidence of a sustainable recovery. We need companies to start seeing profits more through top-line growth than just cost-cutting measures. |
Raising rates by more than 25 basis points would shock the market so much that the Fed's credibility would vanish, |
Raising rates by more than 25 basis points would shock the market so much that the Fed's credibility would vanish. |
Right now, the transparency we had with (former Chairman Alan) Greenspan is gone. We're trying to get some semblance of which way the Fed is going to go. |
Right now, we have this positive confluence of earnings and economic news that has been propelling the market. |
The bond market is still behind the inflation curve. The inflation story continues to chip away at our economy and it doesn't seem to be getting any weaker. |
The challenge is going to be a tug of war between increased earnings and decreased multiples, ... I believe the increased earnings will win out. |
The challenge is going to be a tug of war between increased earnings and decreased multiples. I believe the increased earnings will win out. |
The confidence report really personifies what's going on in consumers' minds right now. Investors are looking at Katrina and Rita as a one-two punch for the economy. |
The employment report is one of the key indicators for figuring out if the consumer can hold on. We're trying to transition this economy away from the consumer, but this potential war is getting in the way. We have to keep consumer spending going until corporate executives are able to make decisions regarding corporate spending. |
The GDP upgrade could put more pressure on the Fed. At the same time, we're losing ground with the consumer... From the perspective of today's market, it's a one-two punch. |
The housing news was the big setback today. While we suspect that housing is likely to slow and thereby take the primary catalyst away from consumer spending, the number came in worse than expected and forced investors to face reality much sooner. |