The Market On Tuesday

Good morning. It is 27 degrees and sunny here in Upstate NY. The chill is back. Put in an hour this morning walking the dog, not in the metaphorical music sense but in the real sense. There's a nice frost on the ground and most everyone has raked their yards, so we are seeing a minty shade of green everywhere. I get the sense that the pre-holiday anxiety is already there. Preparations for Thanksgiving are being made and have a Happy Thanksgiving is the requisite greeting or farewell.

At 8:20 futures are flat, the dollar is mixed, and oil is up.

The big news or at least the big news that I can ascertain is that ratings agencies have determined to keep all US ratings as is. This is inspite of, or possibly despite the failure of the "super committee' to reach any form of agreement on deficit reduction.

Think about it. All the failure in the super committee is because of the activity of one great American fool, Grover Norquist. Any Tea Party affiliate must sign the Norquist pledge. One wonders which realm in hell awaits this belligerent arrogant ass. That's about as fair and balanced as it gets.

Regardless, investors seem poised at the moment at least to keep the market steady as she goes.

CNN: Stocks: Investors take a breather

...ratings agencies reaffirmed their credit score on the United States, despite a debt panel's failure to reach a budget deficit deal.


The U.S. government will release its second estimate of third-quarter GDP growth on Tuesday.


Oil for January delivery gained $1.19 to $98.11 a barrel.