- I was a little shocked to see the tuesday headline that Natalie Portman was stepping down as US budget chief. I thought she did great in Star Wars as Queen Padme Amidala and as Sam in Garden State. I was a little disappointed that there wasn't a smoother transition to US budget chief and also a little concerned about the imbalance between spending and revenues in Washington DC. Yet, I have to give kudos to Natalie for serving her country. She will be missed.
- Asian stock markets continue to rip. Asian markets were trading higher on Wednesday, with Japan's Nikkei 225 index up on gains in automakers Toyota Motor Corp. and Nissan Motor Co., while the Hong Kong benchmark hit a record high led by gains in shares of China-incorporated firms. Indexes in South Korea, Singapore, Taiwan, Malaysia and Indonesia also set intraday records. International investing has been on a tear. You game for buying here?
- As I type, the top stories on the CBS Marketwatch site are all about foreign markets. Asia (as noted above). Should folks stay long Russia? Then Europe en vogue which contains links to sub-articles on other country markets. Finaly, Investing Green features China. Just saying, that's all.
- Best Buy took a hit today after their earnings came in weaker than expected. You know, I remember just a few years ago when there were long lines and long waits at Best Buy. I went to two stores over the past weekend, and both were relatively empty. Just a couple of examples, but considering Father's Day was the next day I figured maybe there'd be some lines. I asked the cashier at the last one and she said it's been slow there for awhile. My thoughts are that higher gas prices are nipping into discretionary spending...
- Presidential candidate Senator Hillary Clinton picks her campaign song in a commercial featuring her and husband Bill Clinton. Set in a diner, she flips through a song machine selections while Bill wonders if he can order onion rings. The screen fades to black as in the Sopranos finale. In a bizarre twist, it is revealed that Hillary has chosen Celine Dion's theme song from the Titanic as her 2008 campaign song.
- G'night!
In Edit: Say, anyone else see the negative divergences on the SP500 as we retest the previous highs here?