Happy New Year.

An Old Irish Blessing  (http://www.kirkreport.com/)

Here’s to the bright New Year
And a fond farewell to the old;

Here’s to the things that are yet to come

And to the memories that we hold.

May God be with you and bless you.

May the best of this year be the worst of the next.

May you be poor in misfortune, rich in blessings.

May you know nothing but happiness.

From this day forward.
Happy New Year!
A Trading Journal

This free service comes at (stocktickr.com) . You may like to try this service to maintain your trading journal.

Why the U.S. market decline on Dec 31 may not mean much  (The Big Picture – http://www.ritholtz.com/  edited on jan 2)

“As for 2009’s final day, it ended with a bit of a thud. Stocks and bonds broadly fell, while the dollar and commodities inched higher. Coming on the last day, and on light volume, these moves may not mean very much. Then again, the VIX did awake by popping the most since Dubai’s woes hit the tape. While it’s a bit of a reach to lay blame for the decline in equities and Treasurys on any one item, the middle two stories below reminded investors that one of the prices of economic recovery will be higher interest rates.”

My Notes: The two stories are: Jobless claims in the US fell dramatically, suggesting that the recovery may NOT be jobless. If jobs start increasing, then the stimulus will be withdrawn leading to higher interest rates. The second story discusses thoughtf by the Fed on how to begin withdrawing the stimulus.

The US economy may be growing. This is likely to be good news for India, as well as metals & energy.