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.