U.S. stocks surged Monday, with the Dow Jones industrial average storming to its highest level in more than 13 months as finance ministers from the Group of 20 industrialized nations pledged to continue economic stimulus measures to help the global economy.

The Dow Jones industrial average, which was well supported by strength in its all but one component, rose 203 points, or 2.0%, to a 13-month high of 10,227.  The S&P500 climbed 2.2% for its sixth straight session gain to 1093 and the tech-heavy NASDAQ gained 2.0% to close at 2154.  The market’s measure of volatility, the CBOE Vix, plunged 4.3% to 23.15.

All ten S&P500 industry groups ended in the green, led by gains in basic material shares (+3.5%) and financials (+3.5%).  Crude prices added $2.00 to close at $79.43 even as Hurricane Ida was downgraded to a tropical storm.  Gold prices went past the $1100 level, up

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This is Part 2 of a guest contribution by David Kotok* and Bob Eisenbeis** of Cumberland Advisors. (Click here for Part 1.)

Note to Readers:  This is the second of our two-part commentary on the Fed’s exit strategy and the role the Fed has played in complicating its own operating strategies and ability to conduct monetary policy.

In their Wall St. Journal op-ed entitled “The BLOB That Ate Monetary Policy” (September 27, 2009), the Dallas Fed’s Fisher and Rosenblum use the movie metaphor of the BLOB to describe the “too big to fail” banks.  They argue that these BLOBs stood in the way of the Fed’s monetary policy’s low interest rates and thereby “gummed up” the “monetary policy channel,” which would otherwise be able to stimulate economic activity.

The op-ed doesn’t name names.  But we will.  If you examine the list of the Fed’s primary

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This is Part 1 of a guest contribution by David Kotok* and Bob Eisenbeis** of Cumberland Advisors. (Part 2 follows tomorrow.)

Note to Readers:  This is the first of a two-part commentary motivated by speeches and editorials from Federal Reserve officials about possible exit strategies from its current quantitative easing policies.  We comment on some problems that the strategies may pose.  We also identify subsidies in the Fed’s current policies.  In part two we comment on the Fed’s own operating policies that may have played an important role in creating the too-big-to-fail problem.  This last issue was overlooked by the Dallas Fed’s Fisher and Rosenblum in their WSJ op-ed piece of September 27, 2009.  They lamented the bottleneck that the concentration of banking resources now creates as the Fed attempts to exit its QE strategy.  They fail to mention how the Fed’s determination of primary-dealer status has

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An unexpected drop in consumer confidence sent U.S. stocks lower Tuesday, as signs of stabilization in housing and Walgreen’s solid earnings failed to convince investors about the strength of an economic recovery.  Although stocks rose slightly after the opening bell, the early morning release of the confidence report took the Street by surprise and signaled the American consumers are not as hopeful about an economic turnaround.

Stocks swung between gains and losses and volume remained light.  Treasury prices declined, with the 10-year off 4/32 and the corresponding yield rising to 3.293%.  The Dow Jones industrial average lost 47 points, or 0.5%. The S&P 500 index lost 2 points, or 0.2%. The tech-heavy Nasdaq composite retreated 2 points, or 0.2%.  On the New York Stock Exchange, 1.18 billion shares exchanged hands with losers narrowly ahead of winners.

The greenback showed modest gains against a basket of currencies, closing at its

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Reports Point to Housing Market Bottom; Big Three Automakers Beat Estimates; Microsoft Will Unveil New Operating System in Time for XMAS; Dallas Fed President: Economy ‘Getting Less Worse’; European Jobless Rate Climbs;  Pepsi Bottling Chief Could Cash In

The housing market showed further signs of bottoming in April, as pending sales of previously owned U.S. homes saw their biggest monthly gain in seven and a half years, the National Association of Realtors reported. The number of Americans signing contracts to buy previously owned homes climbed 6.7% in April, more than forecast and the fourth increase in five months. The report supports the case for a housing bottom made in Money Morning on Monday, where it was noted that housing prices are starting to move upward in western U.S. markets and should soon slowly begin to rise in hard-hit east coast markets.  “Based on what we just ...

Asian stock markets jumped Friday after Japanese production numbers surged the most in 56 years and India's economy grew faster than economists had forecast.  Japan's Trade Ministry said industrial output in that country jumped 5.2% in April and India's economy grew an unexpected 5.8% in the first quarter, beating analysts' projections.  The numbers buoyed investors' confidence and trading picked up as the session progressed.  Japan's Nikkei 225 stock average added 0.8% to 9,522.50 while Hong Kong's Hang Seng advanced 1.6% to 18,171.00.  India's Sensex jumped 2.8% to 14,701.98 as news of the country's economic growth took investors by surprise.  South Korea's Kospi edged up 0.3%.

Stock futures show Wall Street is headed for higher open.  Dow futures rose 0.8% at 8,450. Standard & Poor's 500 index futures rose 0.7% to 911.80 and Nasdaq 100 index futures rose 1% to 1,433.00. 

Although government's ability to fund its massive debt

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For Immediate Release

Chicago, IL - May 25, 2009 - Zacks.com releases the list of companies likely to issue earnings surprises. This week's list includes Dell (DELL), AutoZone (AZO), Big Lots (BIG), Costco (COST), General Motors (GM), Marvell Technology Group (MRVL) and DSW, Inc. (DSW). To see more earnings analysis, visit http://at.zacks.com/?id=3207.

Every day, Zacks.com makes 4 stock picks available, free of charge. To see them, go to http://at.zacks.com/?id=3567.

The Week's Events

Dell (DELL), AutoZone (AZO), Big Lots (BIG) and Costco (COST) are among the most notable names for what will be a light week for earnings. Just 81 companies are confirmed to report, 9 of which are S&P 500 (SPX) members.

Housing data will be among the

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Dell (

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Richard W. Fisher, president and CEO of the Federal Reserve Bank of Dallas,  was once one of the most expressive economist imaginable often using graphic and sensationalist words and expressions to get our attention when describing the ‘nightmarish predicament’ and ‘monstrous challenge’ that has finally engulfed us. It was only a year ago that he warned that a ‘frightful storm is brewing’ – ‘the mother of all financial storms’ – that could well plunge the U.S. government deeper into a ‘fiscal abyss’ causing the country to become submerged in a ‘vast fiscal chasm’. Fisher has not always been so dramatic in spite of saying recently ‘I am a Texan and Texans speak plainly and directly’ and he is not being very direct these days either.

Fisher once was distracted from the truth but today it would seem that he is being compelled to ignore his very own words of warning referring …

Government mulls mortgage price-control plan… who needs the free market anyway? Dan Denning on the true meaning behind the recent bull market in bonds. Stocks rally on Beige Book release… did the Fed send us the wrong copy? Bill Gross on stock evaluation for the Brave New World of tomorrow. Byron King with anecdotal evidence that oil is well oversold.

The vomit approach continues at the Treasury. This time their throwing up historically low mortgages on the wall… just to see if they stick. The U.S. Treasury is considering a proposal to offer new mortgages at 4.5% through Fannie Mae (NYSE:FNM) and Freddie Mac (NYSE:FRE). That’s a point and a half lower than the silly “free market” says it should be.

Should this mortgage plan come

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