The Padang earthquake

Padang the capital city of Provinsi Sumatera Barat (western Sumatra) ,Republik Indonesia,which faces the Indian Ocean was today rocked by a powerful 7.6 magnitude earthquake.

The fifth largest island in the world, Sumatra like Indonesia as a whole, has an incredibly diverse range of peoples and cultures.

Most tropical of all the islands in the country, Sumatra is located in the North Western corner of Indonesia. It has richest wildlife in entire Indonesia leading many people to describe it as "Africa of Asia". Sri Vijaya empire, which was the first Hindu kingdom in Indonesia had their capital in Sumatra as early as 7th century AD. With large rivers, great flora and fauna, sunny beaches, and a great history, Sumatra is a complete tourist destination.

The first European to visit Sumatra was Marco Polo, who was there briefly Bc.1292. Following the Portuguese, who came in 1509, the Dutch arrived in 1596 and gradually gained control of all the native states including Achin. The British had brief control over parts of the island in the late 18th and early 19th century. The Achinese (Acehnese) launched a rebellion in 1873 and were not subdued by the Dutch until 1904. In World War II, Japanese troops landed (Feb., 1942) in Sumatra and occupied it throughout the war.

Tracking the Dow,30/09/09.(Pivot Day of Sept Index futures)
Asian Futures :Expire today.
9:30am:--Bearish Harami.

10:30am:--3 black crows end with morning star.

Second quarter GDP fell an annualized 0.7%, which is better than the 1.2% expectations.

11:30am:--Retracement to MAV resistance falls short.

A disappointing ADP Employment Change Report for September is halting the market.

12:30noon:--Inverted hammer pierced thru the MAV.

The Chicago Purchasing Managers' Index for September came in at 46.1, below the 52.0 expected and down from the 50.0 that was registered in August.

1:30pm:--After lunch session start near day's opening high with shooting stars.

Crude oil prices are up 4.2% to $69.50 per barrel.

2:30pm:--Bearish spin within upper shadow.

With the end of the quarter at hand, investors and portfolio managers drove trading volume in the NYSE sharply higher as they juggled their portfolios.

3:30pm:--A pullback to MAV support with bullish engulfing.

Better-than-expected earnings from several companies, including Nike (NKE 64.70, +4.61) are helping the undercurrent.

4:00pm:--A bearish hammer.

Seems that funds are unwinding positions ahead of last quarter of the year.

Wednesday's candlestick has a long lower shadow which is quite critical to be covered again.

The Sept MAV support line is just 157.05 points away as from todate and there's a danger of bears returning for the cold winter month and the festive seasons ahead.

Having a smaller position as from now on is my strategy to reserve some funds for the pullback and take advantage of the winding-up positions of funds.

Thai Banks disposing stakes.

A tie-up between Industrial and Commercial Bank of China, the world’s largest bank by market value plans to take a controlling stake in Thailand’s ACL Bank .

ICBC has agreed to pay Bangkok Bank Bt3.55bn ($106m) for its 19.26 per cent stake in ACL, a 15 per cent premium to Tuesday’s closing price, in a deal that values the whole bank at Bt18.29bn.
ACL Bank, one of the smallest banks in Thailand, is 30.6% owned by the Finance Ministry and 19% by Bangkok Bank.

Bangkok Bank, the country's largest bank, has been paying fines to the central bank since last year due to delays in divesting its ACL shares.

The finance minister, told the Financial Times that he was willing to waive the 49 per cent limit on foreign shareholdings in financial institutions in the case of ACL

The Dow at pivot day.

Asian index futures due in 24 hours.

Consumer Confidence Index for September came in at 53.1, which is below the 57.0 that was widely expected.

A disappointing trading day with index still holding strong above the bull pivot despite the dwindling volumes.

As tomorrow is the Pivot Day of Dow Futures,a pullback has already been completed so it's looking for retracement on this very day.

Marc Faber-the investment analyst.

Marc Faber is an investment analyst and entrepreneur born in the early forties in Zürich,Switzerland currently resides in Thailand and is best known for the Gloom Boom Doom newsletter and web site featuring "Dance of Death" paintings.

His house is a gigantic Indian red building with golden trimmings tucked away in a quiet soi off the Chiang Mai - Lamphun Road, near the Chiengmai Gymkhana Club. Next to the office, is an old teak house where Dr. Faber and his beautiful wife Supatra, from Nonthaburi, live.

His current — if eccentric — tagline is: 'buy a $100 US bond and frame it to teach your children about inflation by watching the US bond value diminish to almost nothing over the next 20 years'.
Faber is famous for advising his clients to get out of the stock market one week before the October1987 Crash.

Dr. Marc Faber concluded his June 2008 newsletter with the Following:
"The federal government is sending each of us a $600 rebate. If we spend that money at Wal-Mart, the money goes to China. If we spend it on gasoline it goes to the Arabs. If we buy a computer/Software it will go to India. If we purchase fruit and vegetables it will go to Mexico, Honduras and Guatemala. If we purchase a good car it will go to Germany. If we purchase useless crap it will go to Taiwan and none of it will help the American economy. The only way to keep that money here at home is to spend it on prostitutes and beer, since these are the only products still produced in US. I've been doing my part ." Eliot Spitzer, former Governor, New York as he quoted.

View MarcFaber's You-Tube Channel's on updates.

The Dow with a 5Days Bull Rampage.
Asian Index Futures Expiry:30/09/09.

The current US market seems to be boosted by analyst lifting price targets of specific stocks.

The Dow has priced in whatever news that are about to come with the policy-setting Federal Open Market Committee having started a two-day meeting today.

Sep16,Wednesday's candlestick will be the focus of any pullback or profit-taking.

Making money from garbage.

Most of us probably have sold a few bottles and cans and got a couple dollars, but could you believe that some people have made millions or even billions of dollars from trash?

There is big money to be made in garbage. Such is the growing consensus on the world stage, as governments, international agencies and companies pour investment capital into “green” projects.

Environmental regulations are driving the industry. Two main philosophies predominate: the first focuses on waste reduction, which aims to reduce trash whether household or industrial trash; the second involves waste management, which concentrates on turning existing garbage into useful byproducts that can be sold for a profit.

Environmental regulators argue that both approaches are valid and should be used in tandem to manage waste effectively. For industry, this creates two-fold opportunities for profitmaking—at the front end of the waste stream, as well as at the tail end.

Hundreds of garbage dumps across the country already capture the natural methane gas generated by the mountainous piles of solid waste.

You probably have never heard of Zhang Yin, but this Queen of Trash from China is probably richer than every other woman in the world. She has a personal wealth of more than $1.5 billion and she got it all through recycling and manufacturing paper. She moved to America from Hong Kong in the 1990s and she remembered that China does not have many trees for manufacturing paper. So she scoured the garbage dumps of America with her husband and exported all of the paper she could get to China. Eventually her company Nine Dragons Paper made deals with American scrap yards and shipped huge amounts of paper back to China. Her company went public in 2006 and it is still growing because China has a insatiable demand for paper products.

The bottom line is that garbage is big business and some people are even risking fines and jailtime to collect it .There are thousands of companies and people around the world that deal with the processing, disposal, and transportation of garbage. Even so, the EPA estimates that only 32% of the United States' solid waste is recycled. Could there be a business opportunity for you in the millions of tons of trash we throw away every year?

Dow Futures Expiry:Friday.
Asian Futures Expiry:10 market days.

9:30am:--Weak gap down open.

Initial jobless claims for the week ending September 12 totaled 545,000, consensus 557,000.

10:30am:--First hour high pulled back to near open.

Crude oil is currently at $72.60 per

barrel.

11:30am:--A Double Top.

Release of the Philadelphia Fed Index, which was better than expected, but participants quickly moved to sell the news.

12:30noon:--A shooting star hoovering near the low.

The U.S. dollar continues to dwindle and take the Dollar Index to new lows for 2009. The Dollar Index is just above its 52-week low of 75.9.

1:30pm:--A new day's low saw the bullish harami checking the downslide.

Players unwinding ahead of the quarterly S&P rebalance tomorrow.

2:30pm:--Retracement to the bear pivot with dragonfly doji.

Nobel Prize-winning economist Paul Krugman said that unemployment in the U.S. will peak in early 2011 because of a slow and painful recovery from the global economic crisis.

3:30pm:--Headed for the MAV resistance counteracted by the bearish hammer.

Data showed business activity in the Mid-Atlantic states jumped more than expected in September and advanced to its highest level since June 2007, underscoring hopes that the economic recovery was on track.

4:00pm:--A hangman at the bear pivot ended the day.
The bulls might need a temporary pause having reached the 52 weeks bull resistance line.Any pullback will be within Wednesday's body.In the event it pierced the bull support,the final landing spot will be the MAV support.
Adding to evidence the recession has ended, housing construction rose in August and fewer laid-off workers sought jobless aid last week.

In memory of Lehman Brothers.

The abrupt demise of the Lehman Brothers investment bank on the 15th day of September 2008 sparked the biggest shake-up on Wall Street in decades.

News of this big name collapse immediately sent ripples throughout the world's financial market.
The Bank of England injected £5 billion of emergency lending into money markets but Lehman's disease was too late to be cured.The 5,000 Lehman staff in Britain were left homeless without big brother and this was the biggest single job loss ever.

Leading shares on both sides of the Atlantic took a battering. More than £50 billion was wiped off.Asia-Oceania also were the hardest hit.This financial tsunami was too fast to be forewarned.

The collapse of Lehman came after the US Treasury refused to bail out the embattled 158-year-old bank, a crucial shift after its support in March for a Wall Street rescue of the failing Bear Stearns.

This meltdown is one of the most painful among "mother of all losses" that I've ever experienced having been trading for the past 25 years.Most of the pension funds with their arsenal of high tech traders were also unable to bail out on time as the exit door were too small with the onslaught of the gushing waters sinking the vessel like the Titanic.

Anyway,no matter how deep the crisis, however, history shows that fear eventually subsides, greed returns and new market bubbles emerge, financial historian Robert E. Wright said."It's amazing how short Wall Street's memory is -- and investors' memory is," said Wright, a professor at Augustana College in South Dakota who is writing a book titled "Bailouts: Private Profits, Public Risk."

The Dow Index Futures is about 24 hour to Triple Witching Day.
Asian Index Futures Expiry:30/09/09.(10 market days)
Alas!!!the bulls have reached their finishing line of the 52 weeks bull resistance exactly on the day of Lehman Brothers Demise first anniversary.

The market-makers are real manipulators to play this "samba"
During 2008 meltdown,it was Henry Paulson of Goldman Sachs,this time around must be Obama's new economic team.

The Malaysian Connection.

Sept. 14 (Bloomberg) -- Iran increasingly is obtaining U.S. military equipment and technology through shipments to Malaysian middlemen that illegally circumvent trade restrictions, according to American officials and analysts.
The U.S. has charged, convicted or sentenced defendants in at least six cases involving Malaysia since August 2008. The shipments have included parts for bombers and items sent to firms linked to Iran’s nuclear and ballistic missile program, according to court papers. More Malaysia shipments are under investigation, according to a law enforcement official who spoke on condition of anonymity.
The shipments illustrate how difficult it is for U.S. law enforcement to keep military secrets and equipment from reaching Iran, a country the U.S. accuses of developing nuclear weapons and sponsoring terrorism. The U.S. bans most trade with Iran.
Middlemen also have operated out of the United Arab Emirates city of Dubai. Shipments through Malaysia increased after the U.A.E. cracked down on exports more than a year ago, said Steven Pelak, the principal deputy chief of the Justice Department’s counterespionage section in Washington.
“We’ve seen a lot more being now diverted through Malaysia in particular,” Pelak said in an interview. “We have seen Iranian front companies there and we’ve seen an increase there since there’s been a tightening in Dubai.”
The Iranian government creates a shopping list of items it wants and gives it to middlemen who seek the products in the U.S. and elsewhere, said Pelak.
When one country that is home to intermediaries cracks down, the shipments move elsewhere, said David Albright, president of the Institute for Science and International Security in Washington and a former Iraqi weapons inspector.
The activity in Malaysia “poses a threat,” Albright said in an interview. “It allows Iran to improve its military capabilities, nuclear capabilities.”
In a case unsealed last year, the Justice Department alleged that electronics were illegally sent from the U.S. to Iran through Dubai and Malaysia. Some of those electronics are the same type found in roadside bombs in Iraq.
Shipments to Malaysia have increased, Albright said, because “it’s harder to do it from Dubai. You’re trying to get a U.S. supplier to send it to a false end user.”
The U.S. broke off diplomatic relations with Iran in 1980 after militant Iranian students occupied the American embassy in Tehran in 1979.
Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak declined to comment, according to an aide. Afdal Hashim, a spokesman for the Malaysian embassy in Washington, didn’t respond to phone calls or an e-mail.
The U.S. companies that supply middlemen typically are closely held sole proprietorships, said Pelak.
In 2007, the U.S. brought charges against a larger company, defense contractor ITT Corp., based in White Plains, New York, for allowing the transfer to China of night-vision technology. The company agreed to pay $100 million and plead guilty to two criminal charges.
Military Items
The U.S. announced a crackdown in 2007 of illegal exports of restricted military technology and “dual-use” equipment with military and commercial applications.
The multiagency effort resulted in criminal charges against more than 145 defendants in the fiscal year that ended Sept. 30, a 32 percent increase from the year before. Nearly half of the 2008 cases involved munitions or other restricted items headed for Iran or China, according to the Justice Department.
Authorities increased enforcement after concluding other countries were taking advantage of the U.S. to develop their own militaries and compete economically, said David Szady, who retired as an assistant director of the counterintelligence division of the Federal Bureau of Investigation in 2006. The FBI trained agents to better detect illegal exports of sensitive materials, he said in an interview.
Evertop Services
In a March criminal complaint, the U.S. said Iranian national Majid Kakavand oversaw an international network that purchased thousands of military and commercial items from U.S. companies and illegally sent them to Iran via Malaysia.
Recipients included two Iranian military firms that the U.S. says are linked to Iran’s nuclear and ballistic missile programs, according to court papers.
Kakavand allegedly used a company in Malaysia called Evertop Services Sdn Bhd to purchase products for Iran from U.S. and European companies, according to court papers. Among the items were capacitors, spectrometers, resistors and airborne antennae. It’s unclear whether Evertop is still operating. The company couldn’t be located.
Kakavand concealed from the U.S. companies that the products were going to Iran, according to court papers. He was arrested in March in France. The U.S. is seeking his extradition.
The U.S. ambassador to Malaysia, James Keith, said in a February speech in Washington that Malaysia should create a strong system to control exports. A proposed law has been pending since 2004, he said.
“One reason this has become an increasingly urgent priority is trade diversion to Iran by entities who seek to exploit the Malaysian system,” Keith said, according to the prepared text of his speech. “Malaysia has more to contribute to international mechanisms to manage the flow of sensitive technology, including nuclear and missile-related equipment.”
To contact the reporter on this story: Justin Blum in Washington at jblum4@bloomberg.net

Tracking the Dow,Monday,14/09/09.(4 market days To Triple Witching)

Asian Index Futures Expiry:30/09/09.

9:30am:--Nearly 40.0 points bearish gap down with a bullish inverted hammer(morning star)

Major global indices spillover-the trade war fear.
10:30am:--Opening gap fully filled,a good sign,an indecision doji.

The U.S. dollar rebounded so is gold price.

11:30am:--Morning session high pullback now holding at bull pivot.

The U.S. Treasury issued a statement indicating that the financial system is still fragile and that the use of special stimulus measures is declining, but the measures can't be abruptly withdrawn.

12:30noon:--Hoovering for nearly an hour at the bull pivot with distinct dragonfly dojis.

President Obama has started a speech that is being addressed toward Wall Street. He has stated that [the country] won't return to reckless behavior and unchecked excess.

1:30pm:--Bulls spike.

Crude oil futures closed down 0.6% at $68.85 per barrel.

2:30pm:--Another bulls spike to day's high.

President Barack Obama is still lecturing,warned financial leaders not to use the recovering economy to race back into "reckless behavior" that could cause a new meltdown.

3:30pm:--A technical pullback sees the bulls spinning it up again.

The European Union said Monday that the recession in the euro-zone and EU will likely have ended in the third quarter with the resumption of modest economic growth.

4:00pm:--A mild profit-taking within the bullish candle.
Today is the Pivot Day of the month.The bulls at Wall Street have confirmed its stance.Any pullback won't be that alarming as the aim to reach the 52 weeks bull resistance is still on the card.

An early preparation for a white christmas as seen in the candlestick chart.

Thursday's candlestick body has been fully filled right to the bull pivot..a big reprieve.

Sino-US Trade War

US Treasury Secretary Tim Geithner accused China of currency manipulation.

What the US wants China to do is to take sides with it in the rebuilding of international financial and economic order and to ensure China's wider financial openness to the outside world. The emerging Asian economy is also expected to buy more treasury bonds to support the US economic revival.

The root issue of the China-US trade imbalance is due to the spending patterns in US (and UK) and China.Consumers in the United States are enjoying a virtual tsunami of inexpensive, high-quality manufactured goods coming from China, a nation that is now being called "the workshop of the world." Cheap labor and fast, flexible production combine to make Chinese manufacturers extremely competitive.

The U.S. and China are economically interdependent, but this mutual dependence is not sustainable.

President Barack Obama on Friday approved new tariffs on all car and light truck tires coming into the U.S. from China, a move Beijing condemned as protectionist and a violation of global trade rules.

China is alarmed by US Fed money printing to buy Treasury debt threatens to set off a serious decline of the dollar and compel China to redesign its foreign reserve policy.
Cheng Siwei, former vice-chairman of the Standing Committee and now head of China's green energy drive, said Beijing was dismayed by the Fed's recourse to "credit easing".

"The US spends tomorrow's money today," he said. "We Chinese spend today's money tomorrow. That's why we have this financial crisis."
Yet the consequences are not symmetric.
"He who goes borrowing, goes sorrowing," said Mr Cheng.
It was a quote from US founding father Benjamin Franklin.
In retaliation to the latest episode,China’s commerce ministry announced Sunday that it would investigate “certain imported automotive products and certain imported chicken meat products originating from the United States” to determine if they were being subsidized or “dumped” below cost in the Chinese market. A finding of subsidies or dumping would allow China to impose tariffs on these imports.

Dow Jones candlestick 2nd week September.

Investors pulled money out of stocks after a five-day rally left the market at its highest levels in nearly a year.

Friday's candle pattern is above the bull pivot and still very safe but yet to complete previous day's candle pullback.

It is a norm,7 days before expiry of futures index a high setting needs to be set and vice-versa.

Singapore's first casino.

Located along the Marina Bay waterfront(Singapore), Marina Bay Sands( part of the Las Vegas Sands Corp.,)features three cascading hotel towers topped by an extraordinary sky park, ‘floating’ crystal pavilions, a lotus-inspired Museum, retail stores featuring cutting-edge labels and international luxury brands, trendy Celebrity Chef restaurants, endless entertainment at the theatres, the hottest night clubs and a Las Vegas-style casino.

It's the most expensive casino in the world costing S$8.0 billion. A total of 10,400 jobs for the project, 75 percent of them reserved for Singaporeans.

Las Vegas Sands was the winning contender in a three cornered fight bid between Malaysia's Genting International,US gaming giants MGM Mirage and Harrah's way back in March 2006.

Choosing a location like Singapura is a good feng-shui for LVS .It's going to bring good-luck to the company and tremendous revenue compared to its other operations elsewhere.

Singaporeans are not poor people. The "big,big,small,small" alone can occupy several casino tables.

Gambling is big business in Singapore. Singaporeans just love to gamble. They will bet on anything that moves.

The Dow,Thursday,10/09/09.(6 market days to Triple Witching)
Nikkei Futures.(last Day)
Asian Market Futures:(13 market days to expiry)
9:30am:--Mild bearish start with lower shadow being filled early,good sign.

Health care stocks are garnering support following President Obama's health care reform speech, which set the size of health insurance plan at $900 billion over 10 years.

10:30am:--First hour session now spinning at MAV resistance.

Initial jobless claims for the week ending September 5 totaled 550,000 (expect 560,000)

11:30am:--Holding near session high with inverted bulls.

The trade deficit expanded to $32.0 billion in July from a downwardly revised $27.5 billion deficit in June.

12:30noon:--Bulls spinning at high.

Treasury Secretary Geithner indicated that there is a shift in strategy from rescuing the economy to preparing for growth....unlikely that more bank bailout money will be needed, so a contingency provision can be removed from the budget.(look out bank shares)

1:30pm:-The afternoon opening base is again a bullish spin.
Energy has been strong this session,Crude oil futures sold-off from session highs at $72.44 per barrel following a larger-than-expected draw in crude oil inventories.

2:30pm:--A new day's high saw the shooting star holding further advance.

The ending of the recession is reviving global trade, increasing U.S. imports by a record amount in July and boosting foreign demand for American goods for a third straight month.

3:30pm:--A pullback to the bull pivot was held back by a dragonfly doji.

The Obama administration said Thursday that a program used to guarantee as much as $3 trillion in money market mutual fund assets will end on schedule next week...sept18.

4:00pm:--The bulls are the aggressors ending the day with positive note.

It's a confirmed bull run which is just 245.99 points to reach the 52 weeks bull resistance(9,873.47).

Investors poured money into stocks for a fifth day. Falling interest rates on Treasury securities also fed demand for stocks.

Many investors are surely worried that their homecountry markets are also overbought or too high,too fast and waiting for big correction.

This time around the rally is being supported by the fundamentals.Whatever damage that has been done has already happened,the illness is slowly recuperating except for once in a while the flu and the cough trouble.

Triple Witching,Triple 9.

Have special plans this 09/09/09?
Sept. 9 also happens to be the 252nd day of the year (2 + 5 +2)...
In some cultures, the number 9 is special and can carry good or bad omens.
Historically, ancient Chinese emperors associated themselves closely with the number nine, which appeared prominently in architecture and royal dress, often in the form of nine fearsome dragons. The imperial dynasties were so convinced of the power of the number nine that the palace complex at Beijing's Forbidden City is rumored to have been built with 9,999 rooms.
The number 9 is present in many Chinese myths. The Chinese Netherworld supposedly has nine rivers in a nine-headed dragon. Also, ancient Chinese believed that the sky consisted of nine parts, the earth had nine separate countries, and each of those countries had nine mountain ranges
Japanese emperors would have never worn a robe with nine dragons, however.
In Japanese, the word for nine is a homophone for the word for suffering, so the number is considered highly unlucky – second only to four, which sounds like death.
Many Japanese will go so far as to avoid room numbers including nine at hotels or hospitals.

Important Buddhist rituals usually involve nine monks.In Thailand,the Thai people are very superstitious. Odd number are supposed to be lucky numbers. Lottery tickets with odd numbers are likely appreciated. The number "9" is supposed to bring good luck. In Thai language number "nine" is closed to the word, ข้าว or "KHAO" means "rice". เก้า or "KAO" means "nine". เข้า or "KHAO" means "to enter".

Garlands ("DOOK MALAI" - ดอกมาลัย) are supposed to bring luck. Garlands can be found everywhere in Thailand. Every driver has got a garland in his car in order to avoid misfortune.

According to Indian scriptures, letter 9 corresponds to Lord Brahma (the creator of universe).In Hindu mythology, the 9 major celestial bodies are personified as the Navagraha, one of whom (the moon) is named "Chandra".
Also in Hindu mythology, Vishnu, considered the supreme being by many, has had 9 avatars (incarnations). A tenth avatar is predicted.
The Hindu festival Navratri lasts nine days.
There are both nine circles of Hell and nine spheres of Heaven in Dante's Inferno.
The biblical significance of the number 9 is judgement or finality.
The Asian magic square (think of Sudoku) is one in which each number 1 through 9 is used only once.
Kowloon means Nine Dragons, a name that supposedly relates to the range of eight hills snaking around the north of the peninsula – the ninth dragon is in reverence to the emperor himself.
Astrologically, on 9-9-09 Saturn is transiting from one zodiac to another thereby making this date a very significant one for all people.

Tracking the Dow,Tuesday,08/09/09.(8 market days to Triple Witching)
Nikkei Futures Expiry:11/09/09
Asian Futures Expiry:30/09/09
9:30am:--Bullish gap-up near 60.0 points.

The head of the International Monetary Fund said that a recovery by the world economy might occur at the beginning of next year.

10:30am:--Opening gap being filled at bear support.

Gold prices are up 1.1% to $1,006.50 per ounce.Crude oil futures prices are up 4.4% to $71.00 per barrel.

11:30am:--Retracement to near high being halted by graveyard doji.

The mood is positive among traders that are back at their desks following a Labor Day vacation.

12:30noon:--A pullback to the MAV holding below it.

The interest among commodities was due the weaker greenback.

1:30pm:--Support at the Bear Pivot with bullish engulfing.

AIG (AIG 36.78, -3.27) is down considerably as investors push back after watching the stock surge in recent sessions and also hit by a downgrade from analysts at Credit Suisse.

2:30pm:--Bulls have forced through the MAV barrier.

3:30pm:--A pullback to the MAV was checked by a morning star.

4:00pm:--Harami bulls holding at near day's high.

The Dow is now a dragonfly doji.The upper shadow will be formed into a bullish marubozu.
A weekend pledge by the world's 20 biggest economies to support the global recovery with stimulus efforts also helped keep the market's tone positive.

Theme play today:Merger & Acqusition.
Kraft Foods Inc (NYSE:KFT), North America's biggest food company, pursuing Britain's Cadbury (LSE:CBRY.L) despite the confectionary company's rejection of a $16.7 billion Kraft bid made on Monday.

Encouraging Americans to save.

President Obama on Saturday announced changes that the IRS plans to make to encourage workers to save more of their paychecks,a proposal to promote retirement savings.

Americans have not been good savers in recent decades.
"Even before this recession hit, the savings rate was essentially zero, while borrowing had risen and credit card debt had increased," Obama said in his weekly radio and Internet address. "More broadly, tens of millions of families have been, for a variety of reasons, unable to put away enough money for a secure retirement. ... We cannot continue on this course."

Changes will take effect immediately:-

1) Auto enrollment in retirement plans.

2) Saving tax refunds via U.S. savings bonds.

3) Employers to convert (or allow workers to convert) unused vacation and sick leave pay into 401(k) contributions.

Treasury Secretary Tim Geithner in a prepared statement said that "Working Americans should be able to retire with dignity and security, but nearly half of the nation's workforce has little or nothing beyond Social Security benefits to get by on in old age."

September First Week of Dow.

(10 markets day to Witching Day)
September candlestick till todate is like a hangman,given another few more laps will be transformed into a dragonfly doji.

Given Friday's closing having pierced through the MAV resistance line,the bullish phenomenon is still promising.

Trading volume has been low, as is typical of late summer when many market pros on the sidelines.

Infiltrating US via Canada.

Canada is the launch-pad(Trojan Horse) for a multi-billion dollar assault by The People's Republic of China (PRC) against the United States. A top-secret report reveals that "a dangerous consortium of Chinese triads, agents of the Chinese Secret Intelligence Service (CSIS), and Hong Kong tycoons has established itself in Canada.
"They operate on several fronts. Smuggling heroin into Canada for shipment to the United States. Using Canada as a key in the lucrative human smuggling trade to Europe and the United States. By obtaining ownership of key companies in Canada, the PRC uses them to infiltrate the United States, says the report.
"The original version of the report has been suppressed because of its far-reaching political, economic and military implications, says Gordon Thomas, author of Seeds of Fire: China and the Story Behind the Attack on America (Dandelion Books). "
But a well-placed source in Canada's intelligence community has passed Thomas a copy of the original report.
Codenamed "Sidewinder, the report is officially titled "Canadian Intelligence Services and Triads Financial Links in Canada.
It was jointly prepared by Canada's Secret Intelligence Service and the National Security Division of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP).
Seeds of Fire details how both the CSIS and RCMP were involved in tracking China's theft of nuclear secrets from Los Alamos.
Since the book's publication, Thomas has continued to monitor the activities of Chinese intelligence across North America.
"The report shows the PRC has infiltrated Canadian society with a network of spies and organised crime figures. Many of them have Canadian nationality, making it easy for them to go to the United States, he writes.
Confirmation of the explosive nature of the report has come from two senior Canadian investigators.
One is Brian McAdam, an internationally renowned expert on Chinese Triads networks of professional criminals dating back to Imperial times. The other is Michel Juneau, a former high-ranking French-Canadian intelligence officer who has spent 21 years monitoring Chinese intelligence activities in the Asia-Pacific region.
"As well as what the Sidewinder report states, both men confirm that China is using Canada as the prime base for world hegemony, beginning with the United States, says Thomas.
Copies of the original "Sidewinder report were shredded. Those on disc were electronically destroyed.
But a copy survived and was passed to Gordon Thomas. He says the document reveals:
*Triads own one-third of downtown Vancouver.
*China had invested over one billion dollars in 2001 to buy Canadian businesses in strategic areas. A number have links to U.S. corporations.
*China is one of the largest stockholders 10 per cent in Canada's Imperial Bank.
*China has "virtual control of 15 corporations in the country's technology sector.
*China's Secret Intelligence Service has "established some 30 companies, fronted by Canadian nationals, for traditional and economic espionage purposes. These companies are used as cover for Chinese spies to get them into important business and political circles.
*CIA and Canadian intelligence do not understand the "sinister nature of the elaborate networks established in Canada.

Tracking the Dow ,Thursday.03/09/09.(11 market days to Triple Witching)

Nikkei Futures Expiry:(6 market days)
Asian Futures Expiry:(19 market days)

9:30am:--Bullish spike up,early evening stars.

Gains by China markets reassured its health boosted the opening.
10:30am:--Complete pullback of opening gap with a first hour low having a bullish harami.

The Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development offered its support to this morning's buying effort by stating in a Reuters article that the global recession is coming to an end faster than previously thought.

11:30am:--Retracement to MAV was met with resistance by graveyard dojis.

Initial claims for the week ending August 29 totaled 570,000, down just 4,000 from the previous week.

12:30noon:--A rebound was pulled back to the MAV support.

The August ISM Services Index came in at 48.4, which marks its best level since September 2008 and was generally in-line with the consensus forecast for 48.0.

1:30pm:--Attempt to reach the bull pivot being hampered by a bearish harami.

December crude oil hit highs of $69.40 per barrel just before the open.

2:30pm:--Bears pullback to the bear pivot,the bulls hammered it with a flying dragonfly.

Shares of AIG (AIG 41.19, +3.24) are currently providing the most leadership to the financial sector.

3:30pm:--Bullish engulfing.

Gold prices made their way to fresh six month highs and just $0.50 short of the $1,000 per ounce mark before pulling back a bit.

4:00pm:--An indecision bearish spin closes the day's activity.
A rebound to the MAV resistance is critical for the Dow to maintain its positive move.The holiday season are about to begin and couple with this witching month,I suspect that some of the funds are beginning to unwind its position for an early book closing.Daily turnover are weakening depicting the lack of support by the funds.
Recession might be over but the lack of consumption is hindering an immediate recovery and slow demand due to unemployment situation.

High tech war on investors.

A PC can be an investor's best tool. But as a vast high-tech arms race unfolds, big brokers and hedge funds are using their computers to take unfair advantage.
These advances brought democracy to Wall Street, leveling the playing field between everyday investors and the insiders.
But on the other hand, computers are ruining investing for the average investor.
You won't be surprised that your home computer pales compared to systems honed by the Wall Street elite at places like Goldman Sachs, Citadel Investment Group and Renaissance Technologies. But you might be surprised at what they do with those systems to get an edge over you:
1. High-frequency trading :--Scour the markets for opportunities and make millions of trades in less time than it takes you to hit the "enter" key.
2. Flash orders :--Take advantage of exclusive "flash orders" to trade stocks at better prices than you'll ever see.
3.Dark Pools:--Fish for profitable stock bargains inside exclusive trading venues called "dark pools," where you'll never swim.By connecting big players inside exclusive electronic trading venues.
Overhanging this rapid-fire environment is the risk it could create a serious market meltdown by accident.
Today, the meltdown risk is compounded because high-frequency traders deliberately probe across various markets -- from currencies to bonds and commodities -- in exchanges around the world.
Tracking the Dow,Wednesday,2/09/09.(12 market days to Triple Witching)

Nikkei Furures.(7 days to expiry)

Asian Index Futures(20 days to expiry)
9:30am:--A fearful hangman with long lower shadow.

The latest ADP Employment Change Report showed that 298,000 jobs were lost in August. The consensus forecast 250,000 job losses.

10:30am:--A first hour low with a bullish harami.

Without any major corporate news items out today, participants remain focused on economic data.

11:30am:--A retracement to morning high was hindered by a gearish engulfing bears.

Factor orders for July increased 1.3%, which is below the 2.2% increase that had been widely expected.

12:30noon:--A pullback fall shy of the MAV support line and rebounded to day's high.A bearish unshaven maribozu.

Crude was trading 0.4% lower at $67.75 per barrel ahead of inventory data this morning.

1:30pm:--Bearish engulfing at bull support line.

There haven't been many market-moving corporate news items today.

2:30pm:--A bearish harami danger now forming a head and shoulder.

CNBC reported that Fed officials said the pace of recovery is expected to pick up in 2010,the FOMC remains particularly concerned about the jobs picture.

3:30pm:--A runaway bull was again cornered by an engulfing unshaven bear.

Treasuries had a strong session. Helped by a subdued mood among equity traders and the FOMC minutes.

4:00pm:--Bears support at bear pivot prevent it further crashing.

The bears are trying to bring back the Dow to the 52 weeks MAV (9,186.79) which is 93.88 points away to their santuary.

The current bearish candlestick as at todate has an unshaven top which is yet to find a upper high,the bulls might have to bear with the shorties until the President comes back from his weeklong holidays with his family.So we have five bearish days as his entourage consists of five family members altogether includes their Portuguese water dog name Bo.

Theme play today:"Worry"-investors worried that a weak job market will trip up a recovery in the economy.

Obama unpacks for holiday.

There goes Marine One which carries the Obamas from the Martha Vineyard (Massachusetts island) under cloud cover on Sunday currently on a one week vacation.According to Reuters News,Obama is footing the bill himself -- estimated at $25,000 or more -- for the 28-acre (11-hectare) Blue Heron farm he is renting.
With its links to the Kennedys and Clintons, Martha's Vineyard is Democratic America's holiday spot of choice. It's no wonder the First Family picked it for their summer vacation.
A beautiful beach(a haven for the rich and famous) to relax and get disconnected for the President.

The US president has packed a mix of historical biography(The second US president, John Adams) and environmental calls( Why We Need a Green Revolution, and How It Can Renew America) to arms for his holiday reading – with a little light relief included courtesy of crime novelist George Pelecanos--"The Way Home".

Tracking the Dow,Tuesday,01/09/09.(13 market days to Triple Witching Day)
Nikkei Futures Expiry:11/09/09(8 market days)

Asian Futures Expiry:30/09/09(20 market days)
9:30am:--A mild gap down.

Weakness in Europe induces further pressure.

10:30am:--After finding an early high,the evening star set in.

The August ISM Manufacturing Index, which came in at a better-than-expected 52.9. That was also up from the 48.9 in July.

11:30am:--Index slides and is at session low.

Pending home sales for July were up 3.2%.

12:30noon:--Bearish spin still at morning session low.

Currently, crude is trading near highs, up 1.5% at $70.98 per barrel.
1:30pm:--A mild technical rebound,no way of big retracement as the distance is too wide.

Financials have been a primary source of weakness in the stock market's recent reversal.

2:30pm:--Bears reluntance to concede.

News of Ford's monthly sales increase hasn't helped it fend off this session's selling effort, though.

3:30pm:--Hangman around.

Construction spending data disappointed

4:00pm:--Ending the day with a bearish engulfing.
It takes 3 to complete a pullback and Tuesday's spike down was fast enough to complete the mission.It touches the bear resistance which is now the main support line.

This Witching month is going to be highly volatile. "Anxiety"is the theme play today,an excuse to take profit with the banking sector getting the worse bashing.

The US Government of late holds big containers of banking stocks,so this is the only chance of liquidating their goods through this nice theme.

A prelude to the September 10th dateline with regards to Citigroup Inc stocks.