INDICATIONS
U.S. stock futures stronger before wave of data
Inflation, spending numbers on tap as quarter comes to close
By Steve Goldstein, MarketWatch
Last Update: 5:58 AM ET Sep 29, 2006

http://www.marketwatch.com/News/Story/Story.aspx?column=Indications&siteid=

House Panel Digs Deep in HP Spy Case
Dunn, Hurd Shoulder Brunt of Tough Questioning at Hearing

By Yuki Noguchi and Ellen Nakashima
Washington Post Staff Writers
Friday, September 29, 2006; Page D01

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/09/28/AR2006092800231.html

Yuan Drops as China May Want Two-Way Moves to Fight Speculators

http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601087&sid=a6gSfj.6Rjog&refer=home

Inflation at 11-year high

http://tinyurl.com/gd7nk

The dollar is up on this great news? And the S&P futures?

Huh?

Gold moving in sympathy with oil again

http://tinyurl.com/hrsu9

First Nigeria was going to cut production, now it's not.

And oil goes down and the metals with it?

Again... huh?

All the chips are being called in, number2.

More bad news that will be shrugged off. Got to have that meaningless record high. Consumer weakening, but no matter, we have someone who will say he isn't!

http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601103&sid=a1GbSEscZCTQ&refer=news

Not a bad scheme. A record high will appear first page on all weekly magazines, drawing more crowds to big mutual funds, so then they have somone to unload their stocks to? Nah, that'd be machiavelian.

What happenned with gold at the open?

Russians Expecting $100/Pound Uranium

http://www.stockinterview.com/News/09202006/Russia-Bambrough.html

I have not seen it reported anywhere but I think it is significant that today is the last day that it is possible to "naked short" without leaving a trail of crumbs. Monday the second of October all stock loans must be reported to regulators.

Background is here http://www.agencylending.capco.com/documents/Taskforce%20wide%20documents/ALD%20No-Action%20Letter%20Draft%209-14-06.pdf after "Background" and here http://www.dtcc.com/Publications/dtcc/may05/nelson_interview.html. Note that the cutoff date in this article was subsequently changed to this weekend to take effect on Monday.

Bacon & eggs? White toast? That'll be $25,000. And don't do any business with Sudan while you're at it.

"Just a few hours before the choreographed event, Schwarzenegger attended a fund-raiser with his friend and economic advisor, Warren Buffett. The breakfast fund-raiser took place at the lavish Fairmont Hotel atop Nob Hill in San Francisco, at a cost of $25,000 a person

What Schwarzenegger didn't mention was this: Buffett is the largest individual U.S. investor in a Chinese oil conglomerate that does business with the regime in Khartoum. Buffett's company, Berkshire Hathaway, holds 2.3 billion shares of PetroChina, or 1.3% of the foreign ownership of the oil company."

http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/politicalmuscle/2006/09/warren_buffetts.html

Speaking of $100 Uranium, wouldn't that benefit Sprott & its Uranium Participation Fund?

"We do not distribute research reports on Uranium Participation Corporation prepared by financial analysts, because the Company may appear to be endorsing the report's facts, assumptions and recommendations. As we become aware of analysts publishing research on the Company, we publish their contact information on this page."

http://www.google.com/search?sourceid=navclient&ie=UTF-8&rls=GGLG,GGLG:2005-35,GGLG:en&q=Sprott+uranium+participation

Promotion at its best?

More evidence for Bill's confidence in INTC. another AMD-killer strategy.

Imagine notebooks that sleep and awaken instantly, and reboots without a 5 min. delay! (All because of NAND - from SNDK? - on the motherboard)

http://appleinsider.com/article.php?id=2092

INTC is working with PC-makers to build these features into 2007 models!

For a journalist, Jim Jubak (of bizweek&msn) does a fine job of seeing beyond the urgent to the "big picture".

Today, he assesses China's and the US' curiously similar financial dilemma:

how to balance savings and spending with an aging population. China saves too much; the US spends too much. BOTH are in a precarious situation:

http://articles.moneycentral.msn.com/Investing/JubaksJournal/TheFinancialTrapFacingTheUSChina.aspx?page=all

He

GM holds its place as top Dow performer
Intel continues to languish as competition with AMD weighs
By Ciara Linnane & Carla Mozee, MarketWatch
Last Update: 1:25 PM ET Sep 29, 2006

http://www.marketwatch.com/news/story/Story.aspx?guid=%7BDF047EA2%2D2FB3%2D40DB%2D9DE8%2DF5DDEA27D344%7D&siteid=

A "dog of the Dow" has done it again this year.
My bets are on intel (INTC) and/or Microsoft (MSFT) making a run for a "dog" spot next year.

Best and worst ADRs for third quarter.

Worst includes Meridian Gold and Goldcorp.

http://news.morningstar.com/QuarterEnd/Q32006BestWorstADRs.html

This has been discussed here before (the reason why indeces are going higher):

"The bottom line is that a narrowing base of large cap issues, highly weighted in the major indices, are carrying this market higher. As we look from the March-May period to the present period and even within the last few trading sessions, the rise is becoming more selective. Every piece of research I have conducted suggests to me that, on average, intermediate-term market returns are subnormal following such extended narrowing."

http://ca.us.biz.yahoo.com/tm/060929/14810.html?.v=1