The Market On Thursday

  Good morning. It is sunny and 25 degrees here in the Upper Hudson Valley, the forecast predicts a cold cloudy day with temperatures around 30 degrees this afternoon. The longer range forecast has a good solid blast of frigid air coming through over the next few days with bitter freezing temperatures at night. Hey, it's January. The liberal sites are calling for a ban on TV watching during the day of the inauguration, that would be Friday January 20th. The idea is to drive the ratings really low. It wont' happen, people are curious and so what. I probably won't watch but on the other hand I can only recall watching one inauguration on TV over the last 20 years. I will probably be working.

  At 9:15 a.m. ET DOW futures are slightly down and the price of oil per barrel is up now trading at $53.62. The market is poised to open slightly lower.

  Some are suggesting that because Trump is an oil and gas proponent that oil and gas stocks will perform well over the next four years. This partly explains the rise in oil prices since the election. Common sense and science on the other hand tell us something very different. An increase in pumping more and more CO2 into the already burgeoning with CO2 atmosphere is going to stress the system even more and more, a system which is already rapidly running hotter and hotter. So, there you have it, the choice has been made, the wheels are now set in motion.

CNN: Retailers hurting; Government vs. Google; Corona on tap by Alanna Petroff

...Macy's issued an disappointing earnings report and said it will close 68 stores and cut more than 10,000 jobs.

USA Today: ADP: Businesses added 153,000 jobs in December