The Market On Thursday

  Good morning. It is 60 degrees, raining, and thundering here in Upstate NY. Just a few minutes ago we were getting hit with a few minutes of intense hail which for the moment has ceased. I've said it before but we have plenty of water in this area and as a result it's looking downright tropical outside at this point, the green is intense. I'm working on a new definition for a conservative, here's what I've got so far. A conservative is a liberal who is 200 to 50 years behind the times.

  At 8:30 a.m. ET futures are flat and the price of oil per barrel is down. The market is poised to open lower.

  Investors will be viewing more corporate results today along with data on employment and housing. I just saw the weekly layoff numbers at 326,000 up from last week. Also it looks like the coup in Thailand could produce a little jolt in the road. Finally CNN is behind an article saying that investors are getting out of stocks and back into the safe havens of bonds and cash. Makes sense, the market is at record highs, they want to cash in on the profits before a significant correction takes place. However, no one really knows when that will occur, at least no one like myself.

CNN: Stocks: Retail earnings still the focus

The retail sector remains in the spotlight on Wall Street as more earnings roll in.

Over 100 people were arrested outside the McDonald's corporate campus Wednesday as they protested for higher wages.