Coming Up On Wall Street

Good morning. It is 38 degrees and mostly clear here in Upstate NY. The Nor'easter didn't. We were geared up for a huge snowstorm on Friday, but instead we got a rainy day. The ten day forecast is showing a warming trend. Usually Spring is established around here by April 15th.

On April 11th, Alcoa will kick off the Q1 earnings report season. Q1 corporate reports will be the next major force affecting the markets barring an unforeseen tragedy.

Between now and April 11th, the market could be subject to various discomforts. We are talking about the Middle East and Japan's nuke meltdown, along with whatever else might arise. According to Reuters the market may also shrink, "consolidate" until April 11th brings compelling information.

The thinking on how those corporate reports will turn out is varied. Some believe the market has peaked. They point to inflation with increased costs across the board along with less demand in certain sectors. Others believe the market has room to grow, for them Friday's government report on employment in March for example indicates that the recovery is gaining traction.

Historically April is a good month.

So in short, there are the pessimists, optimists, and historians.

Reuters: Wall Street gains on job growth; earnings next hurdle

"...I wouldn't expect the market to break to new highs in the next weeks..."


...the market is looking to forthcoming earnings to kick the rally into a higher gear.


"The payrolls number was "a clear breakout in the trend of job growth to the upside...I think this is the game changer in terms of giving more confidence the recovery is going to be durable and survive the end of QE2."


April is the best month for the Dow industrials going back to 1950...