Larry Levin's Blog (3)

It’s just another day in the new financial-bizzaro world where any little piece of data may move the markets. Forget imploding Europe or mounting debt levels, the market “reportedly” went higher on a better than expected ISM Non-Mfg number.



You may ask, what the heck is the ISM Non-Mfg number anyways? It’s a gauge of new business orders from the Institute for Supply Management. Think of it as the “B list” of economic data reports, akin to the aging celebrity who appears on the…

One of the biggest moments for the markets can come when there is a key news release or fresh fundamental data. Buyers and sellers seem to wrestle with the potential outcome, and in the case of larger announcements, volatility goes through the roof. The problem that I see some traders struggle with is knowing what news to look for, and how to trade it.



Finding news that you can actually use.



The thing that often comes up when you talk about announcements is that…

There’s always a bright side to things, just ask the markets.



All three headline composites of the latest Case Shiller home price index were lower for the first quarter 2012. In fact, home prices in many cities are at the lowest levels since the housing crisis began.



This “good news” combined with the other “good news,” Greece being such a gigantic financial disaster that it’s getting kicked out of the Euro, propelled the market higher.



If we are going to…