Yesterday, the euphoria on Wall Street broke for a while as investors paused for thought to digest crappy July retail figures. Even with the feds funneling borrowed cash into the economy and high-profile government boondoggles such as the “cash for clunkers” program working, Americans are still doing the sensible thing and cutting back on spending. July retail sales dipped 0.1%, and the Dow, the S&P 500 and the Nasdaq all took lumps.

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?

We love surprises! But only when we see them coming. We’re always wondering: how will we be surprised? What will happen that we don’t expect?

Bernanke sticks to the script…  Pound sterling comes under pressure…  China starts shopping for assets…  BRIC MarketSafe lights up the phones… And Now… Today’s Pfennig!

We now know that Team Obama’s optimism about the power of ‘stimulus’ was misplaced. The official unemployment rate now stands at 9.5% – 20% higher than Obama claimed it would be without the $787 billion stimulus.

Do you remember the first time you saw a rain drenched Peter Finch scream, “I’m as mad as hell, and I’m not going to take this anymore!”? We do.

Markets were cheered Wednesday when the International Monetary Fund (IMF) projected global growth of 2.5% for 2010, a slight increase from its earlier forecast of 1.9% growth. That’s good news for investors – but consumers in the United States and investors focused on it may not see much benefit.

How to Make 191% Gains as Wall Street Swallows a Poison Pill – Again! I could start out today’s column by telling you all about how official unemployment is at a 26-year high at 9.5%. I could go on at length as to how unofficial unemployment may very well be double that and we’d never know.

Both sides of the ship…  Currencies remain well bid…  ECB and Riksbank meet this week…  Baiting the hook for more stimulus? And Now… Today’s Pfennig!