Just one day after my last “Sector Watch” column (March 9), the stock indexes had clearly had enough of being nags and decided to go the stallion route instead. In fact, the S&P 500 galloped 20% higher in just eight trading days before hitting its 50-day moving average late last week. 

Is it a bull-market rally or a bear-market fake? It came right down to the wire, but the Dow Jones Industrial Average ended the day Friday with its first four-day rally since November, ending the week with a gain of 9.0%.

Tune into the financial media and you’re guaranteed to hear an “expert” call the stock market’s bottom at least once a day.

598K jobs lost in January…  Currencies rally with stocks…  G-7 this weekend…  More thoughts on Gold… And Now… Today’s Pfennig!

With unemployment soaring, consumer confidence plunging, and gross domestic product shrinking, there aren’t many indications that the market will rebound any time soon. But there is one.

Fed saves us from ourselves… details of the historic FOMC decision… Dan Amoss and James Turk on the implications of 0% interest rates… Dollar gets slammed… how long until the greenback carry trade? Most companies planning on dismal pay raises this year… how you can stay on top in 2009… So what if Madoff fleeced us for $50 billion? Pennies compared with this long-running scheme… Plus, a new survey the Big Three definitely won’t want to read

A Santa Rally for the currencies?…  Waiting for the FOMC…  AUD and NZD rally…  China to try and keep growth above 8%… And Now… Today’s Pfennig!

FTSEurofirst 300 up 1.1 pct on the day, up 13 pct on week… Index lost 7 pct in Nov, ninth month of losses in 2008… Cyclicals hammered; defensive pharmas surge

The stock market is due a bounce after the election, regardless of who wins. But after that, the voter’s choice will have a big impact on industry winners and losers. Rick Pendergraft says biotech and alternative energy stocks should get a lift under Obama, while defense and oil will benefit from a McCain victory.

At least the traders in the futures market “know” what the Fed will do next. They’re betting on a rate hike – you can tell because the futures markets are starting to discount an interest rate hike by the Federal Reserve in October.