The Market On Friday

  Good morning, welcome to the weekend, and welcome to February. It is 22 degrees and clear here in Upstate NY. We got a sprinkling of snow last night, so we are back to a thin layer of white. February is a good month because in my opinion February brings the return of light. By the end of February we are into the amount of light that we experience in mid October. That's a good thing. Today the sun rose at 7:09 and will set at 5:09 p.m.

  At 8:05 a.m. futures are moderately higher and the price of oil per barrel is slightly lower. The market is poised to open higher.

  At 8:30 a.m. the government will release it's numbers on employment for the month of January. One would expect that the number will set the tone for today's opening levels. The unemployment rate is expected to fall by .1%, and we know the drill. Many are off the rolls because they simply can't find work, the jobs are not out there. Yet, there is some modest job growth, so the numbers are deceptive, not really representing the employment situation thoroughly.

CNN: Stocks: Jobs to lead data-heavy session

...the Dow gaining 5.9% in January, its the best performance for that month since 1994.

...the Census Bureau will release data on December construction spending...