Whew!

That damn stock market widget is still wrong. I deleted it. If there is going to be any misinformation on this blog, I'd prefer that it come from ME rather than a third party!

The financials blasted off into space. I'll remind that they were among the most heavily shorted of all stocks. It will be interesting to see what next week brings after the shorts have covered to see if some real buyers come in. It is good, though, to see these early cycle sectors (financials, homebuilders) with some strength. But if it is artificial--due to de-leveraging--that could suck alot of folks into the market only to have buying interest shrivel up.

I have to admit, though, my distrust of the charts due to my distrust of the fundamentals. Did we have a relief rally from the better than expected news from the investment banks combined with the Fed commitments. I'm still expecting more news--but perhaps that is my own fear and emotion.

Here are the homebuilders:


I sold my SMN and EEV at the open today. Smart move. I ended the week in the green, but I'm woefully under-invested. I now that Gary K will be looking for a follow through day after today to see if we get into a confirmed rally. I'll probably listen to him in the a. m.

Regarding my reticence when I see moves that are counter to what I think, John Murphy stated something interesting in his missive today. Specifically, that the homebuilders were showing strength, though the fundamentals were dismissed by Wall Street. He noted that when they were degrading materially in 2005, Wall Street failed to take note.

I've not yet learned the fine art of reconciling what I 'see' in the charts against what I 'think'. I have a tendency to over-think things. I take solace in that Cat is confused. We will likely need a consult with Russell's TA kitty to find out sock positions, though she may have grown out of that habit which means we are all lost!

If you celebrate Easter, then I wish you a happy one. I'm feasting on Saturday and Sunday. My payback for doing the Thanksgiving gala, is that I don't have to cook for any of the other holidays!

This time of the year, like fall, offers some crisp sky backdrops. I'll try to hobble about with my camera. My red-buds are soon to be blooming. You'll remember that MarkM suggested a Forest Pansy redbud which I secured. I've check on it this Spring, and it appears ready to burst forth with something! My mature redbud, too, is ready to bloom.