The Market On Tuesday

Good morning. It is 42 degrees and cloudy here in Upstate NY. Happy to report I did my 3.0 mile run this morning with great aplomb. Here's one key to get back into running or even to begin. Spend a solid year walking a 45 minute loop about 5 to 6 days a week. Walk like you mean it. If you can't do 45 minutes, then start with less and build up slowly. Another key is consistency. You really do feel smoother and easier in your body after an aerobic workout. It does help to elevate your mood for at least a while. All I can say is that if I can do it and you are thinking about it, then you can do it. Two years ago I had a dislocated kneecap and I really thought I was finished. The walking was the remedy.

At 8:20 a.m. futures are slightly down, the dollar is mixed, and oil is way up. Oil is closing in on $95 per barrel, and so one might suspect that fuel prices will continue to fleece the working stiff and hamper those trying their damnedest to find a job or just get by in a very tough economy.

The market is set to actually rebound and rise more according to the talking heads. Always take that with a grain of salt. The brake on this rise is the European debt crisis. That crisis might be seen in a different light this week as European leaders get ready to reveal their plan for tackling the problem. Meanwhile the people in Greece are ready to go into an official revolution, unhappy with the imposed austerity and tightening of the social spending belt. The occupy movement will gain serious loyalty and a following in Greece, that's for sure.

CNN: Stocks: Europe clouds the markets

Investors are awaiting a European summit on Wednesday, a day leaders have pledged will end with a comprehensive plan to solve the region's debt crisis.


Swiss pharmaceutical company Novartis AG announced Tuesday that it will cut 2,000 jobs over the next three to five years.


Data on home prices across 20 major U.S. cities for August from the S&P/Case-Shiller index are on tap just before the open.


Oil for December delivery gained $2.91 to $94.18 a barrel.