Bulls on Wall Street continue to call the shots and have their way. Bears who dare try to venture out of hibernation are smacked back into the cave before they’ve barely seen the light of day. The unshakably bullish action and buy-the-dip mentality has many market observers wondering if it can be sustained, given the struggling economy, moribund housing market, rising food and energy prices, skyrocketing deficit, and persistent unemployment.

Stocks over Bonds, Small Caps over Large

by David Brown, Chief Market Strategist, Sabrient Systems

We’re going to start with what I do know – and then I’ll tell you what I don’t know.

The market reeked of late-day manipulation today as a last-minute push managed to get the Dow back into positive territory, but the S&P500 and Nasdaq couldn’t quite make it. The bulls have staked out their claim and won’t allow anyone to spoil their party...and they have powerful friends.

Editor's Note:  David Brown is traveling today. Our guest editor is Scott Martindale, Senior Managing Director of Sabrient.

New Year’s Party at the Stock Exchanges Rages On

by Scott Martindale, Guest Editor

The past few days have given us a wild ride in the markets, thanks primarily to unrest in the Middle East. After this extended run since December 1, I have been waiting for the market to decide between either pulling back to consolidate gains and find a strong support point from which to launch on a renewed bullish run ... losing critical support and turning bearish.

Fear Factor Up . . . So is the Market Despite Mid-East Turmoil

by David Brown, Chief Market Strategist, Sabrient Systems

The market shrugged off the serious instability in the Middle East today, after tanking on those fears on Friday. The Dow, the Nasdaq, and the S&P 500 were all up, with the S&P 500 up the most, +0.77%.

Brown to Push Firm’s Core Business Units

This market sees nothing but rainbows and butterflies ahead. No worries, no fears. Although backing and filling is a necessary aspect of a healthy bull market, history shows that it can go on for awhile without. Now that the Dow has touched 12,000 and the S&P 500 came within a whisker of 1300, perhaps the bulls will be ready for a much-needed respite.

The market posted a big red candle today. It was much overdue … and in fact needed for a healthy market. It simply cannot go up in a straight line and engender confidence among investors. Backing and filling is a necessary aspect of a healthy bull market.