TGIF Randomosity!

• The picture is of a Korean “racequeen,” maybe trying to check tire pressure.  Look at the stock market pressure today, and it looks like we have a leak.  Despite Intel’s good news last night, the market seems to be reacting to mounting loan losses reported by JP Morgan (at least that’s what the Yahoo Finance page says).  Rising loan losses in JPMorgan Chase & Co.'s consumer bank business and a disappointing reading on consumer sentiment sent investors rushing from stocks Friday.
• Analysts worried about “peaking” earnings in Intel.  While J.P. Morgan's Christopher Danely cited "truly impressive results," he pointed to signs that company's margins and earnings appeared to be "peaking."  "Although we believe Intel is executing flawlessly, we are seeing several signs of a peak in the stock in terms of gross margins and earnings," Danely wrote.
• $145B in bonuses?  That’s why people are ticked off.
• CPI tame.  The consumer price index increased 0.1% in December, down from a 0.4% advance in November. This is the lowest rate since July and is slightly below expectations of a 0.2% rise. The core CPI -- excluding food and energy costs - also rose 0.1%, a tick more than the unchanged reading in November but in line with expectations of economists surveyed by MarketWatch.
• But Starbucks is raising prices.  Starbucks is raising prices on certain drinks by as much as 35 cents in large U.S. markets and in Canada as part of what the coffee chain calls its "normal course of business."
• Staying home sick today, making it a long weekend. Slept in until 10am!