A very cold chill took over the American equities markets this week. The chill blew in from Europe, where regulators are deciding whether to approve the merger of Honeywell and General Electric. The number of conditions Europe was threatening to impose prior to approving the merger surprised GE Chairman Jack Welch. The problem was, it seems the European regulators appeared to be more concerned with protecting their Airbus airline business than making sure there was competition in their markets.More...

If there is one thing the member of Congress can agree on, its spending our money. After getting together to pass a positive if very strange and temporary tax bill, Congress has failed to pass budget bills that comply with the guidelines needed to keep the budget balanced. The time has come for a little pressure on these folks.More...

Tech Leader Index Last Update 4/10/2006 Start Cap $1,593,623,137,937 Market Cap $1,163,676,883,825 Last Close $734.10 Index Value $730.21 % Change -26.98% 1 Day Change -0.53% Point Change -3.90 Year to Date 1.97%   Click for Details

Redneck Index Last Update 3/30/2006 Start Cap $34,485,194 Market Cap $160,556,129 Index Value $4,655.80 % Change 365.58% YTD 379.82%

Ford's Perfectly safe vehicle

I saw a beautiful color picture of the 2002 Ford Explorer in the Wall Street Journal on Friday. Prominently displayed in the ad is the front right tire of the new vehicle. That tire is built by Goodyear Tire and Rubber. A coincidence? I think not.More...

What might happen in the stock markets next week.

The NASDAQ trended lower last week, driven by the perception that a recession is still possible in the months ahead. The doom and gloom seemed to win over the optimists who felt the worst of the slowdown was over. Venerable leader Dell Computer made clear they do not expect a substantial pickup until the fourth quarter of 2001.More...

Some graphs on the stock(s) we discussed this week.More...

Last weeks portfolio snapshot. More...

Our models still look strong. More.