The Market On Monday

  Good morning. At 8:30 a.m. E.T. it is 23 degrees and sunny here in Upstate NY. I hope you had a good weekend. I have been investing more and more time into retrieving my yoga practice. This is something I did religiously a few years back and then fell out of doing. So far so good as it's important to take it slowly and progressively. Yoga could very well be the best form of exercise out there. The body feels very alive after doing it and the body/mind connection feels a bit stronger and better.

  At 8:30 a.m. futures are ever so slightly higher and the price of oil per barrel is higher. The market is poised to open higher.

  In my opinion there are four things weighing on the markets this morning. First is the value of the Japanese yen as that country seeks to change it's monetary profile. Then there is the election in Italy, with Italy a prominent economic member of the E.U. Then we have the downgrading of the British credit rating by Moody's. Lastly there is the incoming crisis in the U.S. as severe budget cuts come into fruition at the end of this week. Regarding the last piece, with a GOP unfortunately dominated by the radical Tea Party and on a mission to implode itself and the country, expect nothing to happen here.

CNN: Stocks: It's all international

...Pier Luigi Bersani on track to defeat controversial three-time prime minister Silvio Berlusconi and ex-comedian Beppe Grillo...

Lowe's reported lower sales and earnings...