13 Jun 2003

Posted at 16:50h in The Friday Brief by
During the next two weeks, as the second quarter comes to a close, we will hear from those corporations who wish to better prepare their shareholders for the actual results they expect to report later in July and August.  The ‘pre-announcement’ season is typically used by corporations to soften the blow of bad earnings news.  Pre-announcements can be vague and, therefore, cause a less a dramatic impact on the stock than the reporting of actual results might.  At this point the companies themselves don’t know their final results, so they must be somewhat vague.

06 Jun 2003

Posted at 15:15h in The Friday Brief by
In nine of the last ten trading days the S&P 500 index has increased.  While two weeks is not a market trend, as the market is random in the short-term, it surely makes people feel better.  On the anecdotal side, my conversations with clients, friends, and business associates have unanimously confirmed a growing optimism about the economy.  Government statistics remain mixed, but are showing signs of improvement. 

30 May 2003

Posted at 15:17h in The Friday Brief by
The S&P has risen five of the past six days or 3.3%, as investors demonstrate more optimism about this country’s economy.  Investor optimism continued to be fueled this week with several positive economic reports.  The first came on Tuesday as the Conference Board reported that consumer confidence in theU.S.rose in May to its highest level in six months.  The confidence index rose to 83.8 in May from 81 in April, the second consecutive monthly increase as energy prices fell and the stock market rose.  An index in the report that measures consumers' attitudes about conditions six months from now rose from 84.8 to 94.4, the highest level since September of last year.  

23 May 2003

Posted at 15:22h in The Friday Brief by
Today, assuming the Senate does as expected and passes the $350 billion tax cut bill, the campaign for theU.S.presidency in 2004 unofficially begins today.  The health of this economy will make or break Mr. Bush’s re-election bid for the presidency.  His father learned just how fast his huge popularity after the Gulf War dissipated when voters were made to feel that their pocketbooks were threatened by a weakening economy.