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  • Association of Investor Awareness - Week of 01/08/2009

    In This Issue:

    It's Time To Start Looking Beyond Current Woes
    A Big Cash Horde Is Always Bullish
    When It Comes To Rebounds, Too Early Beats Too Late
    Eight Blue Chips Many Pros Are Buying
    The Bottom Line This Week

    There's nothing like the start of a new year to shake investors out of a funk. It happened again a few days ago when the market rallied as the first of January approached. The week the calendar turned over, the Dow and the Nasdaq went up an impressive 6.1% and 6.7% respectively. It was an encouraging end to a dismal year that saw the two indices plunge 33.8% and 40.5% - the third worst performance in recent memory.

    Alas, it is far too early to declare an end to the bear market. With manufacturing and home sales dropping to very low levels, it is clear that the economy is still sinking. But as we will discuss later, that doesn't mean that a recovery is off the table for late 2009.

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  • Association of Investor Awareness - Week of 12/04/2008

    In This Issue

    Black Friday May Suggest A More Optimistic Outlook
    Most Insiders Are Not Selling
    Bear Market History: How We Compare
    Get Paid While You Wait
    The Bottom Line This Week

    Last week when everyone was stuffing themselves with turkey and other goodies, the urge to consume in abundance spilled over to Wall Street. By the time the market closed on Friday, the Dow and the Nasdaq were up an impressive 9.7% and 10.9% respectively. It was the first five day rally we've seen in over a year.

    The enthusiasm for stocks wasn't completely due to holiday cheer. Investors got wind of the fact that Black Friday sales were likely to be better than was first expected. As it turned out, instead of a miniscule 0.9% sales increase, Joe and Sally MidAmerica gave the retail industry a 3% boost. Shoppers were so eager to spend money, they trampled several people who got in their way, one of whom died.

    As we are sure you know by now, the enthusiasm didn't survive the weekend. The terrorist attack in Mumbai plus a dismal economic report sent the market down 680 points on Monday. Stocks recovered 442 points on Tuesday and Wednesday but the rebound seems unlikely to last very long.

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  • Association of Investor Awareness - Week of 10/16/2008

    The Biggest Danger Now Is A Series Of Bear Traps
    The Financial Crisis Has Further To Run
    Some Bear Market Investments Have Promise
    How Long The Bear Might Stick Around
    A Contrary Economic Outlook
    Another Shameless Plug For Blue Chip Stocks
    The Bottom Line This Week

    Stock volatility has become so extreme, we had to redraw the charts. Although there have been up and down days as large as those we have seen recently, never before have they come in such quick succession.

    Last week, as everyone from New Guinea to New York must know by now, the Dow and the Nasdaq fell 18.2% and 15.3% respectively. That would have been tough enough by itself, but what made the week even more hectic is it contained a 679 point jump that many investors believed was the start of a reversal. 

    The market leaped forward again this Monday with a breath taking 936 point surge when U.S and European leaders decided on a coordinated financial rescue plan. Stocks took a breather on Tuesday. Then it plunged 733 points the next day on poor consumer spending data. We must expect more whiplash days as the credit crisis continues to unfold. 

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  • Week of 10/02/2008

    In This Issue:

    A Nasty, But Not A Calamitous, Stock Plunge
    Our Contrary Opinion
    A Cure For The Crisis Is Already Being Applied
    It's Time To Do Some Cautious Buying
    Stock Buyers Should Sip, Not Gulp
    The Bottom Line This Week

    People who enjoy excitement must envy investors right now. Not even thrill seekers who travel to New Zealand for the world's highest bungee jump have anything on us. When it comes to big bounces, Wall Street is the place to be.

    On Monday of this week, we completed the jumping part of the stock market's bungee experience. The rebound on Tuesday was nearly as exhilarating. Wednesday, thank goodness, was a quiet day of recuperation.

    Of course the rubber cord could break at any time, in which case the game will be over. However, that seems very unlikely. If a crash was in the works, we think it would have happened on Monday when deep pessimism was rampant.

    The market action we are having now is all the more exciting because there was no hint of it last week. The Dow dropped a tepid 2.2% while the Nasdaq just about doubled it with a 4.0% decline. It was barely enough to be a good warm-up for this week's main event.

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