# The Markets, Today



## Denton (Sep 18, 2012)

I'll bet I am not the only one who glances at the overseas markets before going to bed, and wakes up to watch the markets with the first cup of coffee.

Today, oil is taking a swift kick to the boys. At the moment, it is down 2.84 percent. 

A journalist with Market Watch has pointed out that the NASDAQ composite has completed the "death cross" (a chart indication).

Is a bear market about to be a party pooper?

Wouldn't we expect higher oil prices if everything is as rosey as "they" would lead us to believe?


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## Maine-Marine (Mar 7, 2014)

late at night before bed - I look at the CNN page for Asian markets

in the morning, I wake up and lay in bed praying..once i am up I eat breakfast and check out nbc news, theblaze.com, and prep forum


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## slewfoot (Nov 6, 2013)

I Don't look at anything after 4:30 PM EST to see what the markets closed at. In the morning I go an online premarket page to see what the day is shaping up to be. Will admit I have lost 4 grand in the last 2 months.
But I may be on the down side right now but am a strong believer in leave it alone and it will come back. When the bubble burst I dropped about 15 grand but didn't touch a thing and in 2014 I made it back plus some.


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## sideKahr (Oct 15, 2014)

I used to check the markets everyday and then enter the data into a spreadsheet to track my investments. I was insane then. I'm better now.


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## Maine-Marine (Mar 7, 2014)

I always view stocks and stuff as win or lose only after I sell

if I am down $18,000 on paper it has little effect unless I sell
If I am up $18,000 on paper it has little effect unless I sell


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## A Watchman (Sep 14, 2015)

slewfoot said:


> I Don't look at anything after 4:30 PM EST to see what the markets closed at. In the morning I go an online premarket page to see what the day is shaping up to be. Will admit I have lost 4 grand in the last 2 months.
> But I may be on the down side right now but am a strong believer in leave it alone and it will come back. When the bubble burst I dropped about 15 grand but didn't touch a thing and in 2014 I made it back plus some.


Yes but I am aware that the market has a false valuation controlled by others including our Gov. I am also aware that they can govern my ability to claim/control my access to my investments if they so choose.


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## Hawaii Volcano Squad (Sep 25, 2013)

Commodities smacked in the face. Shell announced they are not going to drill in the arctic after spending $7 billion to do so. One analyst declared Glencore mining was doomed. Gold and silver prices falling. That 100 oz Idaho Sunshine silver bar price getting cheap!


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## CWOLDOJAX (Sep 5, 2013)

I find it entertaining to watch the frenzied hosts on the financial channels.
In the world of analysis, be financial or industry, (as I am in) if you do not display drama you will not keep your audience. After-all they're journalists in an odd way. One analyst screams doom while the other shouts praise... they both have the same boss.

Mind you I am not saying the markets are not worthy of attention, but that are never as steady as a heartbeat.


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## CrackPot (Nov 11, 2014)

I'm still at where sideKahr was, I watch the markets closely and have a huge spreadsheet. Considering I'm out of stocks & bonds, and won't re-enter for the foreseeable future, it's just an entertainment for me.


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## Slippy (Nov 14, 2013)

As I've said before, "The World Done Gone Crazy"


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## slewfoot (Nov 6, 2013)

sideKahr said:


> I used to check the markets everyday and then enter the data into a spreadsheet to track my investments. I was insane then. I'm better now.[/QU
> I use to do the same , gave me a headache big pain in the butt trying to keep track on a spreadsheet. Now I look at my bottom line at the end of the week and see where I stand.
> Watchman, I don't even go there just adds to the headache I can't do a damn thing about what the government is or isn't doing.


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## Prepared One (Nov 5, 2014)

I watch the markets with mild interest but I don't panic. I don't watch my 401k daily either. I figure if the monetary system goes belly up it won't be worth anything anyways. Whether I get it out before the crash or not, it will be only so much worthless paper. If it doesn't crash then I will have a nice little nest egg. It's just one more tool I use to check the health of the system. By the way.....the health of the system sucks.


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## rice paddy daddy (Jul 17, 2012)

No paper investments here, other than my 401K. And I stopped contributing to that when my employer dropped the match in 2006.
Sometimes it is good to never have been blessed with an over abundance of money.

How about those people who bought gold at $1800+ per ounce, when the "experts" said it would be $5,000 soon?


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## Salt-N-Pepper (Aug 18, 2014)

I was a trader for several years (successfully) and I lived and breathed the markets. Now? No. 

I still take care of business, but trading is such a rigged game, and it takes to much work figuring out how the fix is in today.


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## Camel923 (Aug 13, 2014)

Eventually gold or whatever will surge back. This stuff tends to be cyclical.


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## Slippy (Nov 14, 2013)

I don't worry too much about the fluctuations for myself, I do worry about my Mom who gets real nervous during the swings in the markets. Funny, other than taking the IRS mandated Required Minimum Distributions yearly, she doesn't live off her retirement investments. Dad never made much money but he never bought anything that he couldn't pay cash for except his last house, the one I grew up in.

I remember when I graduated from college and climbing some stupid corporate ladder and keeping up with the Joneses, I bought Mrs Slippy a new car. It was '87 and my car note was something cheap (in today;s standards) like $239/mo. Well next Christmas visiting my folks I was bragging about buying the car and Dad asked me what I paid, I told him and he said he was impressed that I had saved up that much money. 

Dad never financed a car, ever. So my dumbass said, "I didn't pay cash, I financed it Dad and my payment is just $239 month! He walked to his desk, shuffled through some papers and showed me where his home mortgage payment was something like $205/mo on a 15 year fixed rate with Taxes and Insurance included.

Hmmm. He and Mom raised a family in that house, its built solid like a rock and Mom still lives in that house. I have no idea where that car is...lesson learned.

That generation of people was pretty smart.


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## ekim (Dec 28, 2012)

After I retired I got out of the stock market game as long term after you retire is kind of moot. IMO, the market is controlled by the big money people and that's my opinion. You don't play the market is plays you as it's nothing like it was 30 / 40 years ago. After the government rapped SS they went where the real money was, stocks and are cleaning out that now. Few will really make it big unless your rich to start with or write the laws that control the money.


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## tango (Apr 12, 2013)

I am not in the market.
I do watch the market daily to see what impact it may have on the overall economy.


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## TacticalCanuck (Aug 5, 2014)

The big changes to world stocks get announced on my way to work listening to talk news radio. I feel better knowing what's going on. Gas is very cheap here still about 90 cents a litre. Makes me think they are still trying to force Putin out of the race. Which is a dangerous slope.


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## Dirk (Mar 4, 2015)

I normally look at a few indexes: 
Shanghai Stock Exchange Composite Index
Bloomberg Commodity Index
Baltic Dry Index
and some indexes in US and Europe.
More to get an indication on what is happening with the economy than what is happening with my money.


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## 8301 (Nov 29, 2014)

I am in the market, 25 years ago I watched it daily, did fairly well financially but my mood was too often affected by the stock pages so I made my self stop looking for newspapers daily and now just check in about once a month although I do keep up with the financial articles.


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## Denton (Sep 18, 2012)

I was looking at the market today and was thinking about where it was going.

Oil (commodities in general) was down, and so was the rest of the markets. 

As of right now (2345 hrs central time) the Asian markets are looking poor.

I'm just wondering, are things trending?

If they are trending globally, could that mean bad times?


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## Ripon (Dec 22, 2012)

Conventional wisdom has you correct on oil demand. The U.S. Oil demand is rising and higher but China's slowing economy has theirs down. Combined with our own increased production I think supply demand issues are mute now.....so the pressure then comes from an extremely strong dollar vs a weak everything else. Welcome to deflation.



Denton said:


> I'll bet I am not the only one who glances at the overseas markets before going to bed, and wakes up to watch the markets with the first cup of coffee.
> 
> Today, oil is taking a swift kick to the boys. At the moment, it is down 2.84 percent.
> 
> ...


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## Denton (Sep 18, 2012)

Ripon said:


> Conventional wisdom has you correct on oil demand. The U.S. Oil demand is rising and higher but China's slowing economy has theirs down. Combined with our own increased production I think supply demand issues are mute now.....so the pressure then comes from an extremely strong dollar vs a weak everything else. Welcome to deflation.


Crap.

Anything that ends in -tion is not really good.


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## Ripon (Dec 22, 2012)

News of notes....

Seeing increased story lines on corp layoffs....whole foods today. 
China bubbles and Eco slow downs, currency maneuvers, no currency looks good but ours, deflationary
Corp profits....here is the recue. They still look good. Sales are good in the largest market, U.S.

Unless I see corp profits taking serious hits in numerous sectors I'm viewing this as a simple correction.

F, T, AAPL, BMY, WMT, only stocks I own, but I have some ETFs on various topics.



Denton said:


> I was looking at the market today and was thinking about where it was going.
> 
> Oil (commodities in general) was down, and so was the rest of the markets.
> 
> ...


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## Denton (Sep 18, 2012)

Man, are the Asian markets taking a beating, now.


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## Dirk (Mar 4, 2015)

But it is also because these traders think they can make some quick money. This is one of the Shanghai traders.


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## 8301 (Nov 29, 2014)

Point I've made before. Because most oil producing countries such as Saudi Arabia, Iran and Russia are losing money with every barrel sold they can't afford to purchase imports the way they could from us or China 2 years ago. We in the US make a lot of our income from foreign trade; trade with countries that no longer can afford to buy from us. Add to this the fact that China is going through a massive change towards a service economy at what appears to be a very rapid rate with much more liberal tendencies beginning to emerge in their population.

Crazy as this sounds right now the US economy is one of the strongest economies in the world but now we require a lot of foreign trade to maintain our economy. This is a situation that may end up with a few years of slow global change with the US starting to buy up buildings in downtown China/Japan like they have been doing to us for the last 30 years.

Or like a giant ship slowly rolling and sinking the world economy could slowly, painfully drop dragging us with it. Due to our capitalistic way we are more nimble that most countries and I think we'll do ok the next 5-10 years.


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## Hawaii Volcano Squad (Sep 25, 2013)

Saudi Arabia has DEEP foreign currency reserves and is spending that money to put US fracking companies out of business to regain market share.
Saudis have enough money to enable them to make this long term play. China sold US Bonds to prop up their stock market.


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## graynomad (Nov 21, 2014)

I'm out of the market since July so I don't give much of a toss, but it's still interesting to watch.


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## 8301 (Nov 29, 2014)

Hawaii Volcano Squad said:


> Saudi Arabia has DEEP foreign currency reserves and is spending that money to put US fracking companies out of business to regain market share.
> Saudis have enough money to enable them to make this long term play. China sold US Bonds to prop up their stock market.


Actually last year a study was done when oil prices really began to drop. It was determined that Saudi Arabia had reserves to go about 3 to 3 1/2 years at severely depressed oil prices before their "money in the bank" would run out. It was estimated they would continue pumping for about 2 years at a loss before they would have to cut back to the point where they were at least not loosing money on every barrel, that or severely reduce their social programs to reduce government spending; they have huge expensive social programs and oil subsidized everything for their citizens. So we're probably looking at another year or a bit more before oil prices slowly begin to make a long term rise.

By helping to keep oil prices low OPEC is trying to reduce the oil income ISIS receives.


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## Hawaii Volcano Squad (Sep 25, 2013)

ISIS is the least of Saudis concerns. Keeping prices low is aimed at their arch enemy Iran, Russia, and US frackers.


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