Douglas Altabef

Profit news continues to be good, and we are seeing some relief from the profit taking of the last few read more

Profit news continues to be good, and we are seeing some relief from the profit taking of the last few weeks. But there is an ongoing tug-of-war between 'we've come too far too fast,' and 'the economic recovery is strong' and you're seeing that played out on a day-to-day basis.

Below the current, the economy has been improving far more than the market reality would indicate. And all things considered, read more

Below the current, the economy has been improving far more than the market reality would indicate. And all things considered, the market is really behaving quite well today [Thursday]. But there's still tremendous anxiety; the market is held hostage to individual corporate news and accountability.

Clearly you're seeing conflicting signs about the economy and the market reacting to that.

Clearly you're seeing conflicting signs about the economy and the market reacting to that.

Earnings have been good, but what you're starting to see is a return to the attitude about earnings that we read more

Earnings have been good, but what you're starting to see is a return to the attitude about earnings that we saw in the late 1990's, where you're seeing more talk about whisper numbers, higher expectations, and a more punitive reaction to numbers that disappoint.

The market is in a wait-and-see mode. It's waiting for confirmation of an economic recovery, some kind of resolution on read more

The market is in a wait-and-see mode. It's waiting for confirmation of an economic recovery, some kind of resolution on Iraq and on what the Federal Reserve is going to do in its meeting this month.