The Market On Monday

  Good morning. It is 22 degrees and sunny here in Upstate NY. I hope you had a good restful weekend. This will be a demanding holiday week as we know. We spent a good part of the weekend getting the house ready for our Thanksgiving dinner. We will have a full house and I'm appreciative of that. I know you agree when we express our deep regret surrounding the outbreak and probable escalation of another war in the Middle East. When will this mess ever come to some type of lasting resolution. It is beyond clear that the people most affected and hurt by this war or any war are children, women, and innocent people.

  At 8:00 a.m. futures are moderately higher, the dollar is down against major world currencies, and the price of oil is up per barrel. The market is poised to open higher.

  Investors are pleased with the real sense for a potential agreement on the looming fiscal cliff. We shall see if Obama maintains his cool and leaves SSI and Medicare off the table. Whenever the financial talks get intense, SSI and Medicare get put on the table. Why is that? How about putting something that does not involve the financial lives of ordinary citizens on the line.

As always, investors will be monitoring the Israeli-Palestinian war. International points of de-evolution affect the world monetary flow.

CNN: Stocks poised for higher open

...investors welcomed positive comments from lawmakers on the fiscal cliff talks but remained cautious ahead of an actual deal.

The National Association of Realtors will release data on existing home sales for October at 10 a.m. ET.