20120227 PM

Dow 12,981.51 -1.44
Nasdaq 2,966.16 +2.41
SP500 1,367.59 +1.85
10-YrBond 1.9220% -0.0550

Indices opened lower and recovered.
Silver looks strong.

GLD 171.70 -0.53
SLV 34.36 -0.01
PTM 21.44 -0.39
XLE 75.99 -0.24
XLF 14.78 +0.11
VXX 25.31 +0.26

Closed a SP500 short and went long the SDS (SP500 double long).

20120224 Weekend

Dow 12,982.95 -1.74
Nasdaq 2,963.75 +6.77
SP500 1,365.74 +2.28
10-YrBond 1.98% -0.01

GLD 172.231 -0.79
SLV 34.37 -0.03
PTM 21.83 +0.00
XLE 76.23 +0.30
XLF 14.67 -0.05
VXX 25.05 +0.92

Dollar lower. Crude oil higher. Precious metals higher.
Look for gold resistance and selling at $1800. Silver lease rate is continuing to trend lower, so be aware of a potential price smash.
If gold and silver can put in a strong weekly close, get long. If the price meanders, expect more weeks of consolidation.

20120221 PM

Dow 12,965.69 +15.82
Nasdaq 2,948.57 -3.21
SP500 1,362.21 +0.98
30-yrBond 3.19% +0.03

Stock indices higher on open, then went red. Past 3+ weeks markets have been unable to make higher highs with volume. Question is WHEN there will be a sharp downdraft.

GLD 171.02 +3.67
SLV 33.38 +1.10
PTM 21.00 +0.57
XLE 75.38 +0.51
XLF 14.77 -0.02
VXX 26.56 -0.03

Wanted to be short over the long weekend. This morning Greece's rescue plan was confirmed, putting the risk on trade back into play. If Greeks are as smart as the Icelandics, the Greeks will bail. Or they will pass laws which will keep them in debt:

Greece will also have to pass within the next two months a new law that gives paying off the debt legal priority over funding government services.

Silver lease rates stopped declining.

DSLV 29.30 -3.43 (-10.48%). Sold at 30.19 for 2.02 per share loss.

20120215 PM

Dow 12,780.95 +97.33
Nasdaq 2,915.83 +16.00
SP500 1,343.23+7.27
10-YrBond 1.93% -0.01

Stock indices turned down intraday.

Euro-Area Economy Shrinks

Gross domestic product in the 17-nation euro area fell 0.3 percent from the prior three months, the first drop since the second quarter of 2009 ...

GLD 168.108 +0.99
SLV 32.45 -0.09
PTM 20.28 +0.29
XLE 73.63 -0.12
XLF 14.47 -0.09
VXX 28.02 +1.50 (+5.66%)

AAPL 497.67 -11.79 (-2.31%)
GBG 0.89 -0.03 (-3.26%). Watch .86.

20120214 PM

Dow 12,878.28 +4.24
Nasdaq 2,931.83 +0.44
SP500 1,350.50 -1.27
30-yrBond 3.07% -0.08

GLD 167.12 -0.39
SLV 32.54 -0.21
PTM 20.00 -1.46
XLE 73.75 +0.13
XLF 14.56 -0.14
VXX 26.52 +0.76

Intraday precious metals, in particular silver, turned lower. Stock indices also turned sharply lower. Stock indices jammed higher in last few minutes.
Dollar looking higher to 82.

DSLV 31.88 +0.57. Long triple short silver at 32.21.
GBG 0.92 -0.02. Sold tiny position at .92 for loss of .09 per share.
SDS 16.59 -0.04. When indices broke lower during day, went long double short SP500 at 16.75. Could have had better entry earlier in day.

20120210 Weekend

Dow 12,801.23 -89.23
Nasdaq 2,903.88 -23.35
SP500 1,342.64 -9.31
10-YrBond 1.97% -0.08

Downside volume was not too big, so bulls may consider this a constructive pullback.

GLD 167.14 -0.88 (-0.52%)
SLV 32.51 -0.39 (-1.19%)
PTM 21.26 -1.81 (-7.83%)
XLE 73.04 -0.74
XLF 14.565 -0.15
VXX 27.872 +2.20 (+8.58%)

TVIX 19.05 +2.77 (+17.04%). VelocityShares Daily 2x VIX.

20120208 PM, Canada US$ Bonds

Dow 12,883.95 +5.75
Nasdaq 2,915.86 +11.78
SP500 1,349.96 +2.91
30-yrBond 3.1410% +0.00

GLD 168.50 -1.20
SLV 33.04 -0.22
PTM 23.36 +1.04
XLE 73.77 -0.25
XLF 14.77 +0.11
VXX 24.48 +0.53

Last weekend, Barron's had an article on buying Fannie Mae's properties at auction. For the larger auctions, there are income requirements and property management requirements. For the smaller sales, there will be restrictions such as requiring the property continue to be rented and renters may not be evicted. Single-sale site.

New product of binary options.

Article in WSJ says this fund invests in small companies overseas and from "late 2008 to July 2011 ... turned at $10,000 investment in $23,500 ...". Company website.

Canada auctioned bonds denominated in US dollars. Fundamentally this will put demand into the US currency, while exposing Canada to currency risk.

CZR 15.39 +6.39. Does anyone wonder why the investing public thinks the markets are fraudulent and a rip-off?

Caesar's, formerly known as Harrah's Entertainment, sold a little more than 1% of its outstanding shares for $9 apiece late Tuesday. The company raised just $16 million, a minute amount compared to its $22 billion debt burden.

GBG 1.00 -0.06. Day range 0.94 - 1.06. Monday sold off to 1.04s after earnings. Tiny buy order at 1.01 was filled today.

Great Basin announced preliminary fourth-quarter results this morning that showed a 20% decline in gold recoverable ounces, and, even worse, an 18% increase in the cost to recover those precious metals.
... results may wind up being a lot closer to breaking even in 2012 than many realize. I'd wait for the company's actual numbers in March before you make up your mind ...