Stock Preacher

The Bull charged north today and the DJIA sliced into the psychological resistance at 10,000 for the 1st time since last October, as investors hailed the strong earnings reports from Intel Corp. and JPMorgan Chase & Co. The DJIA gained 134.45 pts, or 1.36%, to close at 10,005.51, the S&P 500 added 17.35 pts, or 1.62%, to end the session at 1,090.52, and the NAS tallied up + 27.97 pts, or 1.31%, to end the break thru day at 2,165.01. JPMorgan Chase, (covered in Stock Talk today) is the 1st major bank to report Q-3 earnings, the report announced profit in Q-3 climbed to US$3.59B, beating analysts’ estimates by almost 7 times. Intel, (covered in Stock Talk yesterday) the world’s largest computer-chip maker, reported a smaller-than-expected decline in profit and sales after the Bell on Tuesday’s closing bell. It also exceeded analysts’ estimates and guided higher into 2010. Read more

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Investors are withdrawing from money market funds this week before a federal guarantee to safeguard their assets expires today. The outflows could sharpen scrutiny of how to regulate the funds, which now hold US$3.5T despite paying almost no interest of late. Investors took out a total of US$55B from money market funds last Tuesday and Wednesday. Money funds traditionally invested in super-safe debt instruments and paid little interest. The average stock mutual fund has earned 21.92% since January, the top money funds’ 7-day yields were all around 50 basis points or .5%, according to www.cranedata.com.

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The revival of markets for bonds backed by auto and credit card debts is expected to be underscored today when the US Federal Reserve reveals details of its latest loans to investors in asset-backed securities. The Fed offers cheap funding every month to investors in such bonds under its term asset-backed securities loan facility (Talf), an emergency measure meant to support the markets through which hundreds of billions of dollars in consumer loans are financed. This month, Fed funding will be available for investors considering buying US$12B in eligible asset-backed securities sold by the likes of American Express, Bank of America, General Electric, Nissan and Ford. Read more

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US President Barack Obama will nominate Ben Bernanke to a 2nd term as Chairman of the US Federal Reserve Tuesday, keeping him on the job of guiding the world’s largest economy out of its deepest downturn since the Great Depression. Bernanke, whose appointment to a new, four-year term as head of the US central bank must be confirmed by the Senate, has flooded crippled financial markets with hundreds of billions of US$s in Fed liquidity and stepped in to attempt rescues of failing financial institutions such as Bear Stearns and AIG. Obama’s Democrats control the Senate, but Bernanke has faced criticism from lawmakers of both parties who say he has gone too far in extending Fed support that will be difficult to unwind, threatening future inflation. Investors have generally given Bernanke high marks on the job and had widely expected him to be kept on by Obama, although the announcement was not expected until later this year.

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Crude Oil rose about US$1 toward US$74bbl to settle at a 10 month high Friday as data in the United States promised economic recovery and a revival in energy demand. US Crude for October delivery settled up 98 cents at US$73.89bbl, the highest settle since October 20. London Brent crude for October settled up 86 cents at US$74.19bbl Crude Oil gained US$6.38 on the week, about 10%, from the US$67.51 settle on August 14. The US$ was down against the Euro, helping to support commodity prices, with investors showing some appetite for risk.

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Gold futures dipped on Wednesday as weaker equities prompted funds to consolidate recent profits, but the market drew support from a renewed appetite for risk among investors. Platinum and palladium, boosted this week by strong July car sales, rose on supply worries because of a possible strike at the power utility in top platinum producer South Africa. Renewed interest from investment funds buoyed commodities and equities alike, as investors focused on economic recovery rather than deflation which had decreased inflation-hedge buying in Gold earlier this year. US December gold futures settled down US$3.40 at US$966.30 oz on the COMEX division of the New York Mercantile Exchange. Spot Gold dipped to US$966.20 an ounce at 3:30 p.m. EDT from US$966.75 oz late in New York on Tuesday.

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