This morning, MarketWatch tells us there’s been “a broad-based decline” of shares in Europe. Apparently, “capital adequacy worries” over banks are the cause. We presume this is a polite way of saying banks have no money. 

The rally in US stocks that began on March 9, 2009 has seen a 49.4% gain. And despite our deep suspicions here at Notes, it’s lasted 22 weeks. Does this mean we’re tempted to buy into stocks now?

It was Sunday night, and I was sitting down to my usual routine of going through charts and e-mails to prepare for the next day. I had barely been logged on for two minutes when I got an e-mail alert – a news blurb that J.P. Morgan (JPM) was buying Bear Stearns (BSC) for $2 per share. BSC’s stock had closed at $30 on Friday. What a deal!