The Market On Thursday

  Good morning. It is 33 degrees and to our surprise, sunny here in Upstate NY. The morning walk was fast and very crisp. I stopped in the local deli and picked up eggs which I will soon use for breakfast. Even though we just bought a TV, I must say it's very tedious to watch the news in that way. It's much quicker and direct getting the important excerpts online. Watching CNN, it's unreal how much they belabor the point, too boring. 

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

  It is a good fiscal cliff day meaning that investors are optimistic that talks in Washington will lead to a compromise deal on the upcoming alleged crisis. This is taking center stage for investors.

  In addition, investors will be re-parsing the newest numbers on the third quarter GDP, and don't forget that at 8:30 a.m. the government releases weekly numbers on first time layoffs. With Obama seated in the White House for the next four years, that number lost its dramatic importance in the election world of political fodder.

CNN: Fiscal cliff talks lift stocks

...signs that Washington might be moving toward a deal on the fiscal cliff.

...second estimate of third-quarter GDP...