The Market On Friday

Good morning and welcome to the weekend. It is 62 degrees and raining here in Upstate NY. I was out walking earlier and it was one of those rains where the intensity changes every few minutes from downpour soaker to drizzle and back. Consequently the streets were pretty empty except for a few diehard runners casually out there in shorts and t-shirts. They wear that outfit right through the winter. The maple trees have shed almost all their leaves, the oak tree leaves are hanging tough, the Halloween ornaments are building in intensity, and some people are thinking December holidays.

At 8:15 a.m. futures are slightly higher, the dollar is mixed, and oil is pricier.

Investors will be looking at a slew of economic data today and get a better read on the state of our out of control - impossible to comprehend - elite class weighted - economy. My favorite data is on consumer sentiment.

Tell me oh consumer, what is your sentiment?

I could not help but laugh reading through the CNN report and seeing that the sale of Barbie dolls is up. Barbie sentiment is up. I wonder if there is any correlation between Barbie sentiment and consumer sentiment.

CNN: Stocks headed for early bounce

The morning ahead will bring reports on U.S. retail sales, export and import prices, consumer sentiment and business inventories.


...Google reported a stronger-than-expected third-quarter profit.


...Mattel reported strong sales of Barbie dolls....