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It appears we will see another positive start in the equity markets this morning ... but why? As usual, a few reasons are given by too-many different gurus.
To begin, USA Today reports that the S&P just crossed above its 200-day moving average ... something that technical analysts like to see. But I suspect it is something more. It appears another government shutdown might be averted ... and the Chinese trade deadline might be pushed back. But it doesn't feel that the market has gone up solely on good news ... rather ... it feels the market has risen recently because ... at the moment ... there is little bad news screaming at us in the headlines.
I met with a friend yesterday morning whose opinions are always intriguing ... and we discussed something very interesting. Do you remember how a short while ago all we seemed to hear about was the assassination of that journalist in Saudi Arabia? First we had the story of the disappearance ... which then moved to a murder ... then to a cover-up ... then to a conspiracy ... then on to how we would act towards the Saudi government. A few days later ... poof! ... relegated to the back pages for a short while and then moved completely out of our memory ... for we are now on to other things.
As headlines surrounding the government move from crisis (in the eyes of the media) to crisis ... the attention of us ... the public ... quickly goes from soundbite to soundbite ... as we have so much to do in our busy lives that who has the time to really read the news? We only have time to scan headlines ... and it takes a heck of a lot to get our full attention.
And speaking of being busy ... tomorrow is Valentine's Day. I'll never forget the year my wife told me the day was not important and not to get her anything. Like a fool, I listened ... and when I say I'll never forget ... it means I was reminded of it ... unkindly ... for many years afterward. In fact, my tombstone will probably list the year of my birth, death ... and underneath will be a subheading telling the world that on February 14, 1995, I didn't do anything for Valentine's Day.
Why do I bring this up?
The last article below tells of ways you can inexpensively (I love that word) have flowers delivered on Valentine's Day via Whole Foods/Amazon. Really ... 2 dozen roses, delivered, for $30 for Prime Members? And you pick a 2 hour time frame a day in advance?
I will return from my Florida trip feeling like a hero.
I just placed my order.
... as of 8:46 AM today ...
While many might think a government shutdown ... even partial ... is no big thing ... many who were affected ended up very hurt - financially - as a result ( USAToday )
... as some of them had to borrow money to pay bills. The U.S. has a history of doing the same thing and the national debt just hit a very scary figure ( USAToday )
... but it is not only federal workers who have been unable to pay bills on time ... as more Americans than ever before are more than 3 months late on their car payments ( CNBC )
A hunter from Dallas pay over $100,000 to kill a rare animal ... and makes a video telling us how beautiful the area is. It is difficult to believe that sleazebags like this exist ( DallasNews )
Processed foods? They are everywhere. And many buy them because they are widely available and can be devoured with little fuss. There is only on problem ... they are deadly ( CNN )
Yes, the advice here is correct ... but will be ignored just the same. Kevin O'Leary speaks about spending habits ...as much money is wasted because we actually don't think about the ramifications ( CNBC )
... but here is one deal you might want to consider ... if you are sending flowers for Valentine's Day. Whole Foods (Amazon) has quite a deal ... point ... click ... get brownie points ( USAToday )