Oil Lloyds chief executive skips annual bonus

Oil LONDON (AP) -- The chief executive of Lloyds Banking Group, which was rescued by British taxpayers during the credit crisis, says he won't take his annual bonus for 2011. Antonio Horta-Osorio said Friday he's doing that because he took a leave of absence, not specifically in response to Prime Minister David Cameron's recent call for restraint on executive pay. Horta-Osorio took two months off last year as he suffered from sleeping problems. He did not disclose the amount in a bonus that he is turning down, but said future payments should take into account Britain's 'tough financial circumstances.' His pay and bonus entitlement will be disclosed next month in the group's annual report. British taxpayers still hold a 40 percent stake in the bank.

Oil Weidmann-Bundesbank profit will be crimped by reserves

Oil Weidmann-Bundesbank profit will be crimped by reserves BERLIN (Reuters) - The Bundesbank profit turned over to the federal government will be considerably smaller this year than in 2011 due to the risk provisions linked to the euro zone crisis, central bank president Jens Weidmann was quoted telling Der Spiegel. Weidmann said the German central bank had to raise its reserves due to the greater risks and had consulted with its accountants. In 2012 the Bundesbank had a 2.2 billion euro profit and set aside 1.6 billion for risks. 'The distributed profit will be considerably less than last year,' Weidmann said, without providing any specific numbers. Weidmann also said that he had doubts whether European central banks will be able to make a profit on Greek sovereign bonds that euro zone countries are eager to use as part of the latest Greek bailout. 'It's assumed that the central banks will earn a profit from purchasing the bonds. But that is not certain at all. On the contrary, the balance sheet risks have increased. And that affects not only the Greek bonds but also all the extraordinary monetary measures related to the crisis.' (Reporting By Erik Kirschbaum; Editing by Elaine Hardcastle)

Oil Why Brand Value Still Matters

Oil Why Brand Value Still Matters RELATED QUOTES Symbol Price Change PVH 74.26 +0.36 RL 143.11 -1.43 PVH's (NYSE: PVH - News) 2010 acquisition of Tommy Hilfiger turned out to be a good long-term prospect. PVH posted a handsome growth in profits in its third quarter, spurred mainly by Tommy's international sales. The growth speaks volumes for PVH, known to be a high-end clothier trying to sail through a struggling, cash-strapped economy. Let us take a closer look at what makes PVH tick. Good third-quarter showing PVH's net income came in at $112.2 million, a 12% rise from $99.8 million in the year-ago period. Continued healthy sales for both its Calvin Klein and Tommy Hilfiger brands of clothes spurred this growth. Strong sales, both domestic and international, also boosted revenue by 9% from last year to $1.65 billion. This even exceeded management expectations. Tommy Hilfiger, in particular, went a notch ahead of Calvin Klein, as the former's strong international sales base led it to post an earnings increase of 27% over Calvin Klein's 13%. Naturally, PVH felt confident enough to raise its full-year outlook. What spurred the growth Tommy Hilfiger's strong international sales were a major boost to PVH's third-quarter figures, as the brand registered a 17% growth in revenue over last year, spurred by key markets such as the United Kingdom, Italy, and France. Of course, one of the main reasons behind Tommy Hilfiger's acquisition was because the former is known to generate a large chunk of its revenue from international markets. But then, its other flagship brand Calvin Klein was not far behind either as its revenues went up by a healthy 11%. However, PVH needs to check back on its competitors' progress as well. For instance, rival Ralph Lauren (NYSE: RL - News) also cashed in on robust sales figures to post a 14% increase in second-quarter profits. PVH needs to be particularly wary of Ralph Lauren, which is a highly aspirational brand, and whose overseas revenue is around 38% of the consolidated total. Ralph Lauren also caters to a similarly wealthy segment and is in the process of launching new brands such as Lauren footwear. The Foolish conclusion PVH is certainly not getting complacent as it aims to spend around $5 million more than what it did last year on international marketing, with the stress being on holiday campaigning through television and cinema. This is one company that has brand recall, caters to the high-end segment that is not really 'discount-dependant,' and has structured future plans. It may be a good idea to stock up on PVH. Fool contributor Subhadeep Ghose does not own shares of any of the companies mentioned in this article. Try any of our Foolish newsletter services free for 30 days. We Fools may not all hold the same opinions, but we all believe that considering a diverse range of insights makes us better investors. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy.

Signals Student Loan Crisis Looms: FICO Risk Survey

Signals Daily Ticker Despite recent headlines cheering positive trends in the economy, there is still much to be concerned about, according to FICO's new quarterly survey of bank risk professionals. More than two-thirds of risk managers are seriously concerned about the debt loads held by students in the country. 67% of respondents believe delinquencies of student loans will rise, up a considerable 19% from the previous survey. 'They are worried about the amount of student loans that are out there and the ability of those students to repay them,' says Mark Greene, CEO of FICO, which provides credit scores used by both consumers and creditors and is widely considered the industry standard. With tuition prices on the rise each and every year, it is no surprise that the total amount borrowed is also on the upswing. The student who graduated in the class of 2009 had an average of $24,000 in student loans. But that's just the average. Some students are accountable for sums totaling $100,000. (See: The Economic Agony of Today's Twenty-Somethings) The Federal Reserve reported last year that student debt has actually surpassed credit card debt and predicts the total amount owed has topped $1 trillion. Greene's advice to students is: 'Be careful what you borrow.' 'Clearly education has a great return on investment so there is no suggestion you should avoid taking out loans, but be careful what you are getting into,' he says. 'Manage your student loans as carefully as you would your mortgage, your credit card or something else.' Other problem areas listed in the survey include credit card debt and mortgage debt. Credit card debt increased 8.5% to $5.6 billion in November from October, the biggest gain since March 2008. 45% of risk managers surveyed expect credit card delinquencies to rise while 21% expect a decline. And 54% of respondents believe credit card balances will rise. Those figures are more pessimistic than the previous quarter. As for mortgage debt, 47% of risk managers predict mortgage delinquencies will rise while 13% expect to see a decrease. 'If you are looking for risk managers to declare that we've turned the corner, they are not declaring that yet,' says Greene. Do you think the economy is improving or still has a long way to go? More from The Daily Ticker: Forget Harvard and a 4-Year Degree, You Can Make More as a Plumber in the Long Run, Says Prof. Kotlikoff Brain Drain: Most College Students Learn Next to Nothing, New Study Says Jame's Altucher's 8 Alternatives to College Related Quotes: ^GSPC 1,292.18 -0.30 -0.02% BAC 6.76 -0.11 -1.60% C 31.36 +0.09 +0.29% GS 98.96 -0.80 -0.80% JPM 36.44 -0.22 -0.60% WFC 29.54 -0.08 -0.29% PNC 61.51 +0.21 +0.34% FAZ 31.80 +0.23 +0.72% FAS 75.30 -0.53 -0.70% XLF 13.83 -0.04 -0.26% ^DJI 12,432.54 -16.91 -0.14% DFS 26.16 +0.30 +1.16% V 100.99 +1.88 +1.90% MA 342.76 +1.29 +0.38% MS 16.92 -0.18 -1.05%

Signals Netflix shares rise on investor optimism

Signals NEW YORK (AP) -- Shares of Netflix Inc. rose Friday on expectations that its shares will get a boost from the upcoming release of its fourth-quarter results. THE SPARK: Netflix shares have risen more than 40 percent in just the past week, prompting investors to wonder just how high they can go. But B. Riley & Co. backed its 'Buy' rating for Los Gatos, Calif.-based Netflix, saying that investors should hold on to their shares until after the company's fourth-quarter conference call on Jan. 25, when it's expected to update its outlook for the year. THE BIG PICTURE: Netflix shares took a beating and subscribers fled after the company said in July that it would increase U.S. prices by as much as 60 percent. Things only got worse two months later when Netflix said it would spin off its DVD-by-mail rental service into a separate website called Qwikster. It scrapped that idea in October. Since peaking in mid-July, Netflix shares have lost about 70 percent of their value. THE ANALYSIS: Analysts for B. Riley noted that Netflix shares are rapidly approaching the firm's $100 price target and said the company will probably post quarterly losses through at least the first half of the year. But they also said that Netflix's customer base appears to be stabilizing, which should reassure investors that the company is holding its own against the competition. 'We continue to believe that Netflix offers consumers the greatest content variety versus price relationship of the various choices,' the analysts wrote in a note to investors. 'And with the surprisingly positive announcement early last week that Netflix streamed more than 2 billion hours of movie and TV show content in the fourth quarter, we believe this is more likely to be the case than not.' In addition, the company should eventually get a boost from the expansion of its steaming services into new international markets. THE SHARES: Up $2.32, or 2.5 percent, to $94.47 in afternoon trading.

Earn PPLT had a big eversal

Earn

After spending many days going sideways, the indexes had a breakout to upside. The Nasdaq 100 continues to lead. Small caps had 2 nice up days.

One of the better looking ETF setup was on PPLT, which is a Platinum ETF. It had a big reversal after being in downtrend for sometime. 

Oil BBDA Gearing For Third Leg Higher?

Oil

I have successfully called each of BBDA's rallies this year.  First the rally from $.0004 to over $.004, which I alerted my subscribers to before the stock moved, when the stock was virtually dormant and trading only $5,000 to $10,000 a day at most compared to the $500,000+ its has been seeing on this latest rally.  The second from $.0029 to $.0199.  Both ended up being very profitable.  Had you bought at $.0004 (there were millions upon millions of shares for sale when I alerted it at $.0004) and sold at the recent high of $.0199 you are looking at a possible $400 into $19,900 return.

Right now I think BBDA is gearing up for its next leg higher, a move that will take the stock over 100% higher from current levels.  The short term chart is showing a cup and handle formation which is bullish. Also note that any bouts of selling only sends the stock down temporarily.  The uptrend is not done yet.

BBDA's most recent news:


BeBevCo: E-Z Shops are Latest Chain to Jump onto the Relaxation Revolution with KOMA UNWIND
STATESVILLE, N.C., Sept. 6, 2012 /PRNewswire via COMTEX/ -- Bebida Beverage Company (OTC markets: BBDA) (BeBevCo), a developer, manufacturer and marketer of liquid relaxation products, announced today that E-Z Shop Convenience Stores will join the relaxation revolution by carrying Koma Unwind products in their 28 stores throughout eastern South Carolina. This is in aftermath of the roll-out of Koma Unwind at a major retailer in South Carolina that began in August.

'It is amazing how many new store chains and distributors are coming out of the woodwork following our announcement on 28 June, 2012. We have gained a huge amount of credibility in the beverage market in the last few weeks. Now, our European expansion is well underway and we expect that the sky is the limit. After all, in today's busy world, people everywhere need to relax and unwind as well as get a better night's sleep. It won't be long now before liquid relaxation products are everywhere; and, we are a market leader,' said Brian Weber, CEO of Bebida Beverage Company.

About BeBevCo

BeBevCo (Bebida Beverage Company) develops, manufactures and markets liquid relaxation products including KOMA Unwind 'Liquid Relaxation' (TM), KOMA Unwind Sugar-free 'Liquid Relaxation' (TM) and KOMA Unwind 'Liquid Relaxation' Shot(TM) as well as Potencia Energy, Potencia 'BLAST' energy shot, Relax 5 shots and Piranha Water.

Safe Harbor Statement

Except for historic information contained in this release, the statements in this news release are forward-looking statements that are made pursuant to the Safe Harbor provisions of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Forward-looking statements involve known and unknown risks and uncertainties, which may cause a company's actual results in the future to differ materially from forecasted results. These risks and uncertainties include, among other things, the company's ability to attract qualified management, raise sufficient capital to execute its business plan, and effectively compete against similar companies.

Oil A slow grinding higher move

Oil

The market is grinding higher in a channel. 3 to 4 days of rallies are followed by 3 to 4 days of down moves. The buyers lack vigor and selling is muted.

Underlying action on many stocks is sideways. As this kind of action has continued for few months, many stocks are setting up well. But absent breadth thrust breakouts are fading.

In this climate anticipation of breakout or breakdown is better approach than chasing breakouts or breakdown. 

Oil Five Sub-Penny Charts To Watch

Oil At the start of 2012 I posted charts to watch heading into the year.  All of them rose 150% or more:  http://pennystockgurus.blogspot.com/2012/02/150-or-bust.html

With the year 67% over I have five charts to watch.  I think all five will at some point post an over 100% gain from their current prices.  The stocks are UYMG at $.001, ERBB at $.0021, STKO at $.001, ELRA at $.0012 and MCVE at $.03.

Earn Rate on 30-year mortgage drops to record 3.89 pct.

Earn

Newly built luxury townhomes are offered for sale in Woodland Hills, Calif. Tuesday, Jan. 10, 2012. Fixed mortgage rates hit yet another record low on the second week of the new year. But the cheap rates are expected to do little to boost the depressed housing market. (AP Photo/Damian Dovarganes) Newly built luxury townhomes are offered for sale in Woodland Hills, Calif. Tuesday, Jan. 10, 2012. Fixed mortgage rates hit yet another record low on the second week of the new year. But the cheap rates are expected to do little to boost the depressed housing market. (AP Photo/Damian Dovarganes) WASHINGTON (AP) -- Fixed mortgage rates fell once again to a record low, offering a great opportunity for those who can afford to buy or refinance homes. But few are able to take advantage of the historic rates. Freddie Mac said Thursday the average rate on the 30-year fixed mortgage fell to 3.89 percent. That's below the previous record of 3.91 percent reached three weeks ago. Records for mortgage rates date back to the 1950s. The average on the 15-year fixed mortgage ticked down to 3.16 percent. That's down from a record 3.21 percent three weeks ago. Mortgage rates are lower because they track the yield on the 10-year Treasury note, which fell below 2 percent. They could fall even lower this year if the Fed launches another round of bond purchases, as some economists expect. [Click here to check home loan rates in your area.] Average fixed mortgage rates hovered around 4 percent at the end of 2011. Yet many Americans either can't take advantage of the rates or have already done so. High unemployment and scant wage gains have made it harder for many people to qualify for loans. Many don't want to sink money into a home that they fear could lose value over the next few years. Mortgage applications have fallen slightly on a seasonally adjusted basis over the past four weeks, according to the Mortgage Bankers Association. Frank Nothaft, Freddie Mac's chief economist, said that until hiring picks up and unemployment drops significantly, the impact of lower mortgage rates will remain muted. Previously occupied homes are selling just slightly ahead of 2010's dismal pace. New-home sales in 2011 will likely be the worst year on records going back half a century. Builders hope that the low rates could boost sales next year. Low mortgage rates were cited as a key reason the National Association of Home Builders survey of builder sentiment rose in December to its highest level in more than a year. But so far, they have had little impact on the depressed housing market. To calculate the average rates, Freddie Mac surveys lenders across the country Monday through Wednesday of each week. The average rates don't include extra fees, known as points, which most borrowers must pay to get the lowest rates. One point equals 1 percent of the loan amount. The average fee for the 30-year loan fell to 0.7 from 0.8; the average on the 15-year fixed mortgage was unchanged at 0.8. For the five-year adjustable loan, the average rate declined to 2.82 percent from 2.86 percent. The average on the one-year adjustable loan fell to 2.76 percent from 2.80 percent. The average fee on the five-year adjustable loan rose was unchanged at 0.7; the average on the one-year adjustable-rate loan was unchanged at 0.6.

Oil China to reform, grow economy, IMF eyes freer yuan

Oil Chinese Vice-Premier Li Keqiang gestures as he talks to European Commission President Jose Manuel Barroso and European Council President Herman Van Rompuy at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing February 15, 2012. REUTERS/How Hwee Young/PoolView Photo Chinese Vice-Premier Li Keqiang gestures as he talks to European Commission President Jose Manuel Barroso and European Council President Herman Van Rompuy at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing February 15, 2012. REUTERS/How Hwee Young/Pool By Kevin Yao and Koh Gui Qing BEIJING (Reuters) - China cannot delay tough economic reforms, Vice Premier Li Keqiang said on Sunday, underscoring the top leadership's push for market-based change after the sacking last week of an ambitious provincial leader who wanted a bigger state role in the economy. Li, widely expected to succeed Wen Jiabao as premier in a leadership transition that begins later this year, promised flexible policies to keep growth brisk and prices stable, with a focus on boosting domestic demand and pursuing structural reforms to make growth more stable and balanced. 'China has reached a crucial period in changing its economic model and (change) cannot be delayed. Reforms have entered a tough stage,' Li said, echoing comments made by Wen last week. 'We will make policies more targeted, flexible and forward-looking to maintain relatively fast economic growth and keep price levels basically stable,' Li said in a speech at an economic policy conference, attended by top Chinese officials, the head of the IMF and dozens of foreign business leaders. He said China would 'deepen reforms on taxes, the financial sector, prices, income distribution and seek breakthroughs in key areas to let market forces play a bigger role in resource allocation'. Li's renewed emphasis on reform-led growth comes after Wen said slower growth and bolder political reform must be embraced to keep the world's second largest economy from faltering and to spread wealth more evenly, promising to use his last year in power to attack discontent that he warned could end in chaos. Wen told a news conference at the end of the National People's Congress (NPC) that growth would be made more resilient to external pressures, domestic property and inflation risks deflated and 10.7 trillion yuan ($1.7 trillion) in debt racked up by local governments dealt with, while also promoting political change. He cut China's official 2012 growth target to 7.5 percent, down from the 8 percent targeted in each of the last eight years, aiming to create leeway to deliver reform of items including subsidies, without igniting inflation. China's annual rate of inflation cooled to 3.2 percent in February, below the government's 4 percent target for the first time in more than a year. But policymakers remain particularly sensitive to elevated commodity prices, given China's huge imports of raw materials. PRO-GROWTH POLICIES CRUCIAL Zhang Ping, head of the country's top planning agency, the National Development and Reform Commission, told the Sunday conference that economic policies maintaining relatively fast growth were key to the country's future. 'First of all, we need to maintain steady and relatively fast economic growth -- development is the key for resolving all problems in China,' Zhang said. The government would maintain prudent monetary and pro-active fiscal policies, and stand ready to fine-tune settings -- a consistent refrain from China's leaders since the autumn of 2011. The show of unity over pro-market reform took on new significance last week when China's central leadership moved to bolster control over the southwest city-province of Chongqing after ousting its contentious but popular chief, Bo Xilai. The calls for unity with the ruling Communist Party's top leaders were emblazoned on the front pages of Chongqing newspapers on Saturday. They made no mention of Bo, removed from power after a scandal when his Vice Mayor Wang Lijun took refuge in February in a U.S. consulate until he was coaxed out. After arriving in Chongqing in 2007, Bo, 62 and a former commerce minister, turned it into a bastion of Communist revolutionary-inspired 'red' culture and egalitarian growth, winning national attention with a crackdown on organized crime. His self-promotion and revival of Mao Zedong-inspired propaganda irked moderate officials. But his populist ways and crime clean-up were welcomed by many residents and others who hoped Bo could try his policies nationwide. Li said that while the overall trend of China's economy was stable with sound fundamentals, it faced structural obstacles that must be overcome, adding that Beijing would push forward structural reforms while encouraging technological innovations to generate new sources of economic growth. CURRENCY REFORM CARROT International Monetary Fund managing director, Christine Lagarde, dangled an additional reform carrot at the same economic forum on Sunday, saying that the yuan could become a global reserve currency with the right mix of market-oriented structural change. 'What is needed is a roadmap with a stronger and more flexible exchange rate, more effective liquidity and monetary management, with higher quality supervision and regulation, with a more well-developed financial market, with flexible deposit and lending rates, and finally with the opening up of the capital account,' Lagarde said. 'If all that happens, there is no reason why the renminbi (yuan) will not reach the status of a reserve currency occupying a position on par with China's economic status.' China, the world's biggest exporting nation and the second-largest importer, has long wanted to break the dollar's dominance as the principal global unit of cross-border trade, in part to battle internal inflation risks and also to enhance Beijing's influence on the international financial system. China's has a closed capital account system and its currency is tightly controlled. Although Beijing has increased the use of the yuan to settle cross border trade, undertaking a series of reforms in recent years to that end, yuan settlement was only about $300 billion in 2011, which Chinese exports were worth about $1.9 trillion. Li said he expected China's total trade to maintain double-digit growth this year. The government has an official target of 10 percent growth in both imports and exports for 2012. Exports are a key source of demand and jobs for China's vast factory sector and have been a principal driver of wealth creation for much of the last decade in the wake of the country's accession to the World Trade Organization. China's trade balance plunged $31.5 billion into the red in February as imports swamped exports to leave the largest deficit in at least a decade and fuel doubts about the extent to which frail foreign demand drove the drop. Li said that there were some encouraging signs emerging about the pace of global economic recovery, and forecast that China's total trade would top $10 trillion in the five years 2011-2015, but added that the outlook was not certain, with efforts to resolve Europe's debt crisis still evolving. Economists expect China's annual economic growth to slow to close to 8 percent in the first three months of 2012, down from 8.9 percent in the last quarter of 2011. That would be the fifth successive quarter of slower growth and leave China on track to end the year with its weakest expansion in a decade. A raft of economic indicators in the last two weeks have signaled that China's economy is on a gentle glide lower and on course to avoid a so-called hard landing. (Writing by Nick Edwards; Editing by Don Durfee and Jonathan Thatcher)

Oil U.S. did not call for strategic oil release: G20 sources

Oil U.S. did not call for strategic oil release: G20 sources U.S. Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner (C) and Chairman of Grupo Financiero Banorte Guillermo Ortiz (L) arrive to a meeting of Group of Twenty (G20) leading economies' finance ministers and central bankers in Mexico City February 25, 2012. REUTERS/Tomas Bravo MEXICO CITY, Reuters (Feb 25) - The United States did not openly call for a release of countries' strategic oil reserves during Group of 20 meetings this weekend, Group of 20 sources said on Saturday. Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner said on Friday the United States is considering a release from its strategic oil reserves as rising tensions between Iran and the West over its disputed nuclear program fueled a rise in oil prices. At meeting of G20 economies on Saturday, two people familiar with the discussion said finance officials had discussed the risk to the world economy from oil prices, which rose above $125 a barrel on Friday, but the United States did not push for a release of strategic reserves. Countries hold oil reserves as a buffer against sudden drops in supply. A draft communique for the G20 meeting, which is still under discussion, said high oil prices were a risk to the global economy, the sources said, although the outlook was cautiously optimistic. 'The communique says that there are some positive signs in the global economy, coming especially from the U.S. economy, but they are tentative,' one G20 official said. (Reporting by Francesca Landini and Dave Graham; Writing by Krista Hughes)

Earn BBDA hit $.0199 From $.0004 Alert

Earn

The stock fell after hitting $.0199 but recovered its losses and closed higher today.  Strong interest remains in this stock that had almost no interest when I alerted it at $.0003/.0004.

Forex Breadth is improving

Forex

Breadth has seen steady improvement in last 6 session.

The markets have also managed to get out of a channel. 

The underlying setups are improving . At this stage a sideways move may help in consolidating the gains. 

Earn Stocks' correction coming? Not that again

Earn Stocks' correction coming? Not that again Companies: NDX Apple Inc. RELATED QUOTES Symbol Price Change NDX 0.00 0.00 AAPL 585.57 +0.01 Related Content A trader in the S&P 500 options pit at the Chicago Board of Trade looks at an order board shortly after the Federal Reserve's decision to leave short-term interest rates untouched between zero and 0.25 percent in Chicago, January 25, 2012. REUTERS/Frank PolichView Photo A trader in the S&P 500 options pit at the Chicago Board of Trade looks at an order board shortly after the Federal Reserve's decision to leave short-term interest rates untouched between zero and 0.25 percent in Chicago, January 25, 2012. REUTERS/Frank Polich By Angela Moon NEW YORK (Reuters) - Investors are beginning to wonder if this 'Energizer Bunny' of a rally can just keep going without taking a break or a fall. Every Friday for the past couple of months, the question has hung in the back of investors' minds: Is the stock market's rally strong enough to continue without a correction? Even with the S&P 500 above levels unseen since before the financial crisis, the answer remains: Yes. The broad market index broke through 1,400 -- a psychologically important level -- for the first time in four years last week. On Friday, the S&P 500 closed at 1,404.17, its highest since May 20, 2008. At Friday's close, the index was up for nine out of the past 10 weeks. The rally has taken the Nasdaq up to a 12-year recovery high, while it lifted the Dow (DJI:DJI) comfortably above 13,000 to its highest level since December 2007. 'We are seeing this unbelievable rally in the market and yet the market is unbelievably complacent. We haven't been this bullish for a long time,' said Randy Frederick, director of trading and derivatives at the Schwab Center for Financial Research, based in Austin, Texas. Indeed, the CBOE Volatility Index or VIX (MXP:VIX), Wall Street's fear gauge, plunged to a five-year low despite the S&P 500's stunning gain of 12 percent for the year so far. The VIX measures the expected volatility in the S&P 500 index over the next 30 days and generally moves in the opposite direction of the broad market. Investors often use VIX options and futures as a hedge against a market decline. Frederick said the only concern is the wide spread between second- and third-month VIX futures, suggesting a rise in volatility in the longer term. But the front-month futures that expire this week have come down to levels near the spot VIX. The VIX fell 6.2 percent on Friday to end at 14.47, its lowest close since June 2007. 'I would like to see the VIX around 17 just because it tends to have a significant pop when there is bad news at current levels,' Frederick said, adding that 'frankly' there isn't that much negative news out there. STRENGTH IN MIDCAPS Further evidence of the market's bullish sentiment: The S&P 400 Midcap Index <.MID> has popped above the 1,000 mark, an area of strong resistance since last year, according to Ryan Detrick, a senior technical strategist with Schaeffer's Investment Research, in Cincinnati. 'It's a big area of resistance, but we have moved above this. If we manage to stay here, then the strength in the overall market will advance further,' Detrick said. 'Historically, April has been a strong month so we can even see the market going up to 1,440, which is the high made in May 2008,' he added. TRACKING THE BIG APPLE The direction of Apple shares (NSQ:AAPL - News) will also be in focus this week after the stock hit the $600 mark for the first time in history last week, only about a month after it topped 500. Apple currently accounts for about 18 percent of the Nasdaq 100 stock index (NAS:NDX - News). Its weighting was cut to 12.3 percent from 20.5 percent last April, but the price surge has pushed the stock's weighting back up, making this index of 100 well-known companies hostage to the performance of a few technology titans like Apple. With Apple's heavy weighting, investors are questioning whether the broad market can continue to rally even with a pullback in Apple shares. The Nasdaq Composite Index (NAS:COMP), the barometer of tech stocks, closed on Friday at 3,055.26 -- its highest close since November 2000. 'It's a name that a lot of people have exposure to so it definitely has an impact on indexes, but it seems even without Apple, the money gets put to work in other sectors and stocks,' Detrick said. While the VIX has been sliding, the expected volatility in Apple has increased, judging by a VIX index that tracks Apple options. Apple, like IBM and other bellwether names, has its own VIX index. The CBOE Apple VIX index <.VXAPL>, which measures the expected 30-day volatility of the underlying shares of Apple, jumped 35 percent last week, suggesting more gyrations ahead as more investors speculate on short-term moves.

Oil Quest for the golden cross

Oil Quest for the golden cross RELATED QUOTES Symbol Price Change MA 348.79 +0.96 XOM 85.83 -0.94 PFE 21.48 -0.15 K 49.73 -0.26 TRI 27.82 -0.10 By Rodrigo Campos NEW YORK (Reuters) - January has turned out strong for equities with just two trading days to go. If you're afraid to miss the ride, there's still time to jump in. You just might want to wear a neck brace. The new year lured buyers into growth-related sectors, the ones that were more beaten down last year. The economy is getting better, but not dramatically. Earnings are beating expectations, but at a lower rate than in recent quarters. Nothing too bad is coming out of Europe's debt crisis - and nothing good, either - at least not yet. 'No one item is a major positive, but collectively, it's been enough to tilt it towards net buying,' said John Schlitz, chief market technician at Instinet in New York. Still, relatively weak volume and a six-month high hit this week make some doubt that the gains are sustainable. But then there's the golden cross. Many market skeptics take notice when this technical indicator, a holy grail of sorts for many technicians, shows up on the horizon. As early as Monday, the rising 50-day moving average of the S&P 500 could tick above its rising 200-day moving average. This occurrence - known as a golden cross - means the medium-term momentum is increasingly bullish. You have a good chance of making money in the next six months if you put it to work in large-cap stocks. In the last 50 years, according to data compiled by Birinyi Associates, a golden cross on the S&P 500 has augured further gains six months ahead in eight out of 10 times. The average gain has been 6.6 percent. That means the benchmark is on solid footing to not only hold onto the 14 percent advance over the last nine weeks, but to flirt with 1,400, a level it hasn't hit since mid-2008. The gains, as expected, would not be in a straight line. But any weakness could be used by long-term investors as buying opportunities. 'The cross is an intermediate bullish event,' Schlitz said. 'You have to interpret it as constructive, but I caution people to take a bullish stance, if they have a short-term horizon .' GREECE, U.S. PAYROLLS AND MOMENTUM Less than halfway into the earnings season and with Greek debt talks over the weekend, payrolls data next week and the S&P 500 near its highest since July, there's plenty of room for something to go wrong. If that happens, the market could easily give back some of its recent advance. But the benchmark's recent rally and momentum shift allow for a pullback before the technical picture deteriorates. 'We bounced off 1,325, which is resistance. We're testing 1,310, which should be support. We are stuck in that range,' said Ken Polcari, managing director at ICAP Equities in New York. 'If over the weekend, Greece comes out with another big nothing, then you will see further weakness next week,' he said. 'A 1 (percent) or 2 percent pullback isn't out of the question or out of line.' On Friday, the S&P 500 (Chicago Options:^INX - News) and the Nasdaq Composite (Nasdaq:^IXIC - News) closed their fourth consecutive week of gains, while the Dow Jones industrial average (DJI:^DJI - News) dipped and capped three weeks of gains. For the day, the Dow dropped 74.17 points, or 0.58 percent, to close at 12,660.46. The S&P 500 fell 2.10 points, or 0.16 percent, to 1,316.33. But the Nasdaq gained 11.27 points, or 0.40 percent, to end at 2,816.55. For the week, the Dow slipped 0.47 percent, while the S&P 500 inched up 0.07 percent and the Nasdaq jumped 1.07 percent. A DATA-PACKED EARNINGS WEEK Next week is filled with heavy-hitting data on the housing, manufacturing and employment sectors. Personal income and consumption on Monday will be followed by the S&P/Case-Shiller home prices index, consumer confidence and the Chicago PMI - all on Tuesday. Wednesday will bring the Institute for Supply Management index on U.S. manufacturing and the first of three key readings on the labor market - namely, the ADP private-sector employment report. Jobless claims on Thursday will give way on Friday to the U.S. government's non-farm payrolls report. The forecast calls for a net gain of 150,000 jobs in January, according to economists polled by Reuters. Another hectic earnings week will kick into gear with almost a fifth of the S&P 500 components posting quarterly results. Exxon Mobil (NYSE:XOM - News), Amazon (NasdaqGS:AMZN - News), UPS (NYSE:UPS - News), Pfizer (NYSE:PFE - News), Kellogg (NYSE:K - News) and MasterCard (NYSE:MA - News) are among the names most likely to grab the headlines. With almost 200 companies' reports in so far, about 59 percent have beaten earnings expectations - down from about 70 percent in recent quarters. (Reporting by Rodrigo Campos; Additional reporting by Chuck Mikolajczak and Caroline Valetkevitch; Editing by Jan Paschal)