Change in Investor Mood?

• Well.  The newest iPad Air goes on sale… Well, it probably already is depending on your time zone.  Sure, it’s lighter and the components are fresher.  But does it do much more than the last two iPads did, or are?
• So, stocks had an interesting last hour.  As in whooosh down.  The market has had a great run so far this year.  And this month.  It is interesting as we enter as what should be the monthly strength period where 401k additions automatically hit mutual funds.
• Financials…. Yuck.  It is hard for the market to rally without the financials.  And they can lead down, too.
• I am still in cash.  The market looks like it wants to take a breather here.  I’m always worried about that after a strong summer.  That should be the weak period, right?
• So that’s why I was less interested in the latest iteration of the iPad, and more interested in the Microsoft Surface Pro 2.  It lets me do work things, too.
• Yes, the Obamacare website has been a bit of a disaster.  It is sad.  We shouldn’t cheer for a failure and should hope that everything works out for the best.  But it is off to a bad start.  And you have to wonder how the costs for Obamacare will really go.  My guess is that the costs are seriously underestimated.  We. Shall. See.
• Nice win by the Red Sox.  Congrats on the World Series.
• Not that I’m complaining about the iPad.  It’s a great tablet.  As are the Android tablets.  They all work well.  As does the Surface Pro 2.  The big difference is the price tags.  And capability.  The Android and iPad tablets compete amongst themselves. But is there a large enough market for the Surface Pro 2?  It’s pricey.  And if you don’t want to do work things, then why not just go stand in line at the Apple store tomorrow, er, today?
• Miami Dolphins win in overtime via a safety.  Really.  I picked the Dolphins straight up and was worried that they were going to fold in the 2nd half as usual.  And they did, but recovered.

Quick Stock Thoughts

I’m still in cash.  Just wanted to do an update since I’ve been absent lately.  I will get more into this soon.  Been crazy at work and still mending from broken feet.

So, I keep waiting for a market correction that doesn’t come.  Every pullback has been mild.  Yet, I’ve been around awhile and I don’t feel excited about putting money to work when the market is at or near all time highs in over a 4 year bull market run.  Especially without a major pullback anytime recently.

My plan is to wait for a pullback – but, if that doesn’t come soon, I will begin to dollar cost average in and then buy more on a pullback.

Maybe the Fed scared the market today.  Maybe some of the earnings scared the market.  Maybe nobody cares because there just isn’t any other place you can put money to work and make any kind of return.  Plus, maybe that Fed asset purchase program, aka QE, goes on for years and years and the prices of investment kind of things (stocks, land…) continues to appreciate.

Be back soon…

 

***

Anyway, I’m tying this on my new Microsoft Surface Pro 2 tablet.  I really like it.  This is the Windows Live Writer program, which isn’t a Windows 8.1 program per se, but runs fine.  Or seems to. 

Sunday Night Market Thoughts

• My portfolio is still in cash as the market (er, SP500) makes new highs.  That's a great feeling, right? 
• So I've ignored the last few trips the market has made to the 50dma.  
• I don't yet have a strategy to dollar cost averaging back into the market or going all in.  Still thinking about it.  Probably dollar cost average in if we don't have some sort of pullback soon, and if in the process of doing that we get a correction, go all in.  Just thinking out loud... 
• The black box has been okay on the little moves lately, but haven't been following it.  LOL.  I know - then what's the use!?!?!
• One thing I am looking forward to this week is the Apple news on new iPads.  I'm debating between a new iPad or to go the Windows Surface Pro route.  I have an iPad - I'm doing this entry using the BlogTouch app.  So maybe leading to a Windows tablet.  I dunno.  Or neither.  LOL.  I don't actually need one, it's just the NEW TOY thing.
• My feet?  Thanks for asking.  Still sore but improving oh-so-slowly from week to week.  
• My fantasy football teams are good, but I'm near last place. Why?  I keep playing the top scoring team of the week.  So even if I'm scoring a lot, I keep playing the guy who is scoring MORE.  Good grief.  
• The government is going to release the economic data that it held hostage during the government shut down.  That could be market moving.  I don't think things are that well.  I guess it doesn't matter as long as the Fed is inflating asset prices by printin' money.
• Any commercial that plays the Best Friend theme song from the Courtship of Eddie's Father always gets me to watch.  And then I sing the tune non-stop for the rest of the day.  Can't get it out of my head!
• Anyway, October is flying buy.

The Budget Nonsense

The budget: Such a sham. All these dire warnings and grandstanding. Hours of TV programming had been spent debating the debt.  Rivers of digital ink spilled writing about the tea party, Obama, congress, and the like.  140 character Tweets nonstop about the budget. 

Then the last day before the default they make a deal. It's like a bad script for a movie.  So predictable.  What a bunch of nonsense.

Did anyone really think they wouldn't make a last minute deal to save the day?

Market Thoughts, Janet Yellen, and the Fox Business Channel

• Just a quick update: Yes, I'm still in cash.  Market seasonality says that it's time to buy stocks somewhere around this time period.  So, I'm watching and glad to see a little pull back in the market.  The market seemingly rallied on news that there would be some sort of partial debt ceiling deal and the news that Janet Yellen would be nominated as the new Fed Chair, replacing Ben Bernanke.  Anyway, the market did pull back and the 50dma seemed to be support for the major indexes.  Or thereabouts.  One troubling sign is that tech stocs (Nasdaq) is lagging - and that's not normal for a rally.  
• Yes, Janet Yellen.  Well, she will be the most powerful person in the world in short order.  She seems popular with Wall Street and her past comments make it appear as if the easy money policy will continue, if not amp up even further. f
• So, Fox Business is supposed to compete with CNBC, right?  It seems as if it is trying to compete with the Fox News Channel.  Aren't the topics on the Fox Business shows roughly the same as those on Fox News?  

#229: Janet Yellen, Debt Ceiling, and Market Thoughts

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