The Market On Thursday

  Good morning. It is 67 degrees and hazy here in the Upper Hudson Valley. The weather logos predict a pleasant day. If the weather holds late this afternoon I am coating the front steps with some weatherproofing sealant. Well we've had another ghastly botched execution yesterday - read here. I've stated my case many times, I am not a proponent of the death penalty although I might waver on someone like Hitler or Pol Pot. One wonders if these ongoing botched executions are turning public opinion against the death penalty. Americans don't seem to care to much as long as it's out of sight and out of mind, when the problem becomes headline news then we've got a new type of attention and a new attitude.

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

  Second quarter corporate reports continue to come in beating expectations and the general concerns over warring activity in the Ukraine and the Middle East are on burner 2 at the moment. We see that jobless claims are down to 284,000 and that number, the lowest since 2006, will add a little fuel to the re-emerging bull.

CNN: Stocks: 6 things to know before the open

China's factories are motoring again after a dismal start to the year...

The big risk for Europe's recovery remains an escalation in the dispute with Russia over Ukraine.

...GM recalled another 718,000 vehicles.