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To: FJB who wrote (48129)6/8/2010 12:21:09 PM
From: marc ultra5 Recommendations  Read Replies (3) | Respond to of 95596
 
<If you could post some of this good news, I would appreciate it. Everything I read is depressing the heck out of me

The economy continues to have decent growth even if we have some moderation in the second half. The semi cycle has not shown any sign of weakness as yet with demand strong and inventories continuing to be lean.

We're finally having a healthy market correction that should keep the bull going at least into the start of 2011 now. I think we had a critical test of the 5/25 climactic selling intraday low of 1040 when we got down to 1042 this morning. We'll see if that will hold which could mean the correction is over at least for now.

Valuation is very cheap, sentiment is very bearish, the Fed is extremely loose and now with Europe will continue to be so.

When money starts flowing back in the markets it will likely preferentially flow into the US market now. So in terms of the market the underlying fundamentals are very strong and we should have a good leg up in the bull once this correction is over which could be imminent.



To: FJB who wrote (48129)6/8/2010 2:24:05 PM
From: The Ox4 Recommendations  Read Replies (4) | Respond to of 95596
 
While this isn't "news", the underlying fundamentals of many US equities have dramatically improved over the past 18 months. If you have the capabilities, go back and look at the projections for 2010 back in January of 2009. Afterwards, check out the "real" numbers that have been put out during the first quarter of this year.

Their appears to be a disbelief in what is actually happening on the ground, thus it "must end badly" is the talk of the day. The "must end badly" approach sells newspapers, as the saying goes. This "can't be a correction, it must be the beginning of the end" is all we are reading, at least that is 90% of what I have been seeing in the press. Whether its politics, public policy, economics, environment, or whatever, the amount of people with a positive view seems to be reducing on a daily basis. "This is going to be bad" is about the only thing I read these days.

Maybe I'm too optimistic on a global level! I'm very cautious not to let this translate into my trading approach (the trend is your friend, etc...).

Their appears to be a "running to the hills" mentality these days, versus a get down into the muck and fix what needs to be fixed view of the world. I can't side with the "bunker" mentality. Caution, yes. Very appropriate. But a "head in the sand", hide now before it gets worse outlook is just a bunch of BS to me! The concept that global risks are so much greater today then at any other time in our history is just the biggest load of "manure". Global risks are constantly high, they are always in flux and rarely do they substantially improve for the better. It takes hard work and constant improvements in communication to keep up with all the various issues we face. I've never understood how running into a bunker solves much of anything unless you are in an actual war zone.

jmo

TO



To: FJB who wrote (48129)6/9/2010 12:32:15 PM
From: Sam1 Recommendation  Respond to of 95596
 
OT--Another positive economic datapoint:

Since sales rose at a faster clip than inventories were rebuilt, the ratio of inventories to sales fell to 1.13. That's the lowest point on records that go back to 1992. At that rate, it would take only 1.13 months to clean out the remaining inventories at the April sales pace.


Wholesale inventories and sales both up in April
Wholesale inventories rise for fourth consecutive month in April led by solid gain in sales
Martin Crutsinger, AP Economics Writer, On Wednesday June 9, 2010, 12:03 pm

WASHINGTON (AP) -- Inventories held by wholesalers rose for a fourth straight month in April while sales rose for a 13th consecutive time. Both gains were encouraging signs for a sustained economic recovery.

Wholesale inventories increased 0.4 percent last month after a 0.7 percent gain in March, the Commerce Department said Wednesday.

Sales increased 0.7 percent in April, helped by higher demand for autos, lumber, computers and electrical equipment. The rise followed a 2.4 percent surge in March.

The hope is that a steady rise in demand will prompt businesses to step up orders and restock depleted shelves. That would give a boost to factories and prompt them to increase hiring.

Since sales rose at a faster clip than inventories were rebuilt, the ratio of inventories to sales fell to 1.13. That's the lowest point on records that go back to 1992. At that rate, it would take only 1.13 months to clean out the remaining inventories at the April sales pace.

Before that liquidation began, inventories had jumped from around 1.15 months to a peak around 1.4 months in the space of about six months from the middle of 2008 to early 2009.

Over the past decade, a more normal level during recoveries has been between 1.15 months to 1.2 months.

Peter Newland, an economist at Barclays Capital, said the return to a lower ratio "suggests that firms are likely to continue to rebuild stock levels in coming months."

Inventories at the wholesale level had fallen for 13 consecutive months through September of last year. Businesses went through a massive liquidation of their stocks in a struggle to contain costs during the recession.

The move away from slashing inventories to restocking has played an important role in supporting growth in the past two quarters. A rise in factory orders has made the manufacturing sector one of the strongest contributors to the economic recovery.

The overall economy, as measured by the gross domestic product, grew at an annual rate of 5.6 percent in the final three months of last year, a surge powered by a swing in inventories. Growth slowed to 3 percent in the first three months of this year with continued strength from inventories.

finance.yahoo.com



To: FJB who wrote (48129)6/16/2010 7:24:03 PM
From: Sam3 Recommendations  Read Replies (1) | Respond to of 95596
 
Another "good news" macro economic data point:

FedEx says global trade recovery is underestimated, offers conservative outlook for the year
Samantha Bomkamp, AP Transportation Writer, On Wednesday June 16, 2010, 5:06 pm EDT

NEW YORK (AP) -- FedEx said people are too pessimistic about a recovery in global trade, after it reported Wednesday that strong exports from Asia and other international shipments drove its improved fourth-quarter results.

While concerns about European economies and their looming debt problems remain, FedEx said international shipments overall grew by 23 percent. Countries like India, China and Brazil in particular are driving the increase.

FedEx said the U.S. economy is steadily growing as well. Still, it has a conservative outlook for the next year, expecting rising costs as shipments pick up.

The company's forecast for earnings of $4.40 to $5 per share for the fiscal year that started June 1 falls short of analysts' predictions of $5.05 per share. It's the first time FedEx has issued a full-year forecast since before the recession, indicating the company's growing confidence in the long-term recovery.

FedEx, based in Memphis, Tenn., expects to earn 85 cents to $1.05 per share for the quarter ending in August. Analysts forecast $1.03 per share.

In the quarter ended in May, FedEx earned $419 million, or $1.33 per share. It lost $876 million, or $2.82 per share a year earlier. Excluding a writedown on the value of assets and aircraft, earnings were 64 cents per share a year ago.

Revenue climbed 20 percent to $9.43 billion. FedEx took delivery of 18 planes in the fourth quarter. Six of those were Boeing 777Fs, which can fly from the company's hub in Memphis to China without refueling.

FedEx said international priority shipments jumped 24 percent in the period. Most of those shipments are high-tech, high-value goods like electronics and pharmaceuticals, which people want fast. FedEx will ship Apple's new iPhone 4s when the popular gadget launches next week.

Average daily shipments in the company's Ground unit rose 7 percent. The Ground segment grew steadily during the recession as people switched to slower shipping methods to save money, and FedEx gained business as DHL retreated from the U.S. market.

The company's weak point remains its freight segment, which posted back-to-back losses. FedEx said the market still has too many trucks competing for a relatively small amount of freight, which is preventing it from raising prices. FedEx Freight CEO William Logue said the unit is aggressively reviewing the business. He didn't provide a timeline for when it would become profitable. This segment ships things like refrigerators and other large appliances...

FedEx's fourth-quarter earnings were also affected by the reinstatement of merit raises and some 401(k) contributions it cut off during the recession.

For the full fiscal year that ended in May, FedEx posted net income of $1.18 billion, or $3.76 per share, compared with $98 million, or 31 cents per share, in the previous fiscal year.

Revenue fell 2 percent to $34.73 billion.

FedEx shares fell $4.94, or 6 percent, to close at $78.07 Wednesday.

finance.yahoo.com