DevilWare

I've been setting up a new WinXP machine here and have had to spend quite a bit of time ridding it of DevilWare... you know, the crap that AOL and the awful McAfee stick on these machines from Dell.

I'll watch the debate tomorrow morning and give you my impressions. Have a good night, guys.

Stocks to Watch

Early movers this morning. This screenshot is posted every weekday morning at around 9:15 ET.

Keep an Eye on AAPL

The coil scanner picked up AAPL. Apple Computer is up at multi-year highs... it has come a long way from that dark day back in September 2000 when the stock was almost halved in a single day -- it closed on 9/28/00 at $53 1/2 and opened the next morning at $28 3/16ths, which some of us remember very well.

That's all ancient history and we can celebrate the move it has made off the April 2003 low of $12.72... and maybe one day all those buyers from years ago who paid $50+ will "break even." ;-)

AAPL, Daily Chart

Another Dumb Email Exchange

Here's an email exchange between Stephen "Nightmare Scenario" Roach and Bill "Hegemonic Decline" Gross.

Gross comes across as both more reasonable and a better writer... maybe that's why he takes home eight figures compared with Roach's piddling seven figure annual income.

Calling a Top in the Housing Sector Index

The housing stocks reversed sharply yesterday, which you can see from the PHLX Housing Sector Index chart below. The chart pattern looks like a classic Test of Top reversal. This calls for close attention because it could lead to a major change of trend in this sector, and it may even be presaging a major shift in the bond market, i.e. much higher interest rates to come. (But beware of reading too much into it.)

PHLX Housing Sector, Weekly Chart

The component stocks that make up the PHLX Housing Sector Index.

Sweet Crude Range Contraction

Light Sweet Crude has been coiling these last several days around the $50 level. You can see the interesting outside bar / inside bar / outside bar / inside bar pattern -- a complex range contraction. It should make for a playable break, keep an eye on her.

Light Sweet Crude Oil futures, Daily Chart

Unusual Suspects

You can find yesterday's Unusual Suspects on the Unusual Suspects page. I've also started to post a screenshot called "Notable New Highs & Lows" that you may find useful.