Market Commentary for August 23, 2007


Trading action today was not very favorable for day traders or investors, for that matter. The major indices moved into negative territory by the closing bell however, trading direction was almost hidden from site. A whipotile session created a mood where traders merely waited for the closing bell to ring to put the day behind them.

At the closing bell, here is how the major indices ended the session: the DOW (Dow Jones Industrial Average) shed 0.25 points on the day to end the session at 13,235.88; the NYSE (New York Stock Exchange) posted a gain of 1.49 points to end the session at 9,478.62; the NASDAQ posted a loss of 11.10 points for a close at 2,541.70; the S&P 500 moved lower by 1.57 points to end at 1,462.50 and the RUSSELL 2000 moved lower by 10.31 points to close at 798.56. The FTSE All-World Index ex-US (top Large/Mid Cap aggregate from over 2,700 stocks from the FTSE Global Equity Index Series (GEIS) which covers 90% of the world’s investable market capitalization) posted a gain of 2.04 points to close at 250.84 and the FTSE RAFI 1000 posted a loss of 7.46 points to close at 6,062.12.

Economic Data:

Jobless Claims: A weekly compilation of new unemployment claims to show the number of individuals who filed for unemployment insurance for the first time. The condition of the labor market is determined by an increase of the number of claims which suggests a deteriorating labor market. Data released today: U.S. Jobless Claims fell by 2K to 322K for week of August 18th compared to expectations of a drop by 2K and U.S. Continuing Claims for week of August 11th rose by 16K to 2,572,000.

EIA Natural Gas Report: Weekly information provided by the EIA (Energy Information Administration) on natural gas stock piles in underground storage in the United States and three regions of the country. Prices for natural gas products are determined by the level of inventories. Data released today for week of August 17th, Crude Oil Inventories change came in at 19.5 Million Barrels.

Commodities Markets

The trend was higher across the board today for the Energy Sector: Light crude moved higher by $0.57 today to close at $69.83 a barrel; Heating Oil ended the session higher by $0.01 again today to close at $1.98 a gallon; Natural Gas moved higher today by $0.06 to close at $5.85 per million BTU and Unleaded Gas moved higher by $0.03 again today to close at $1.92 a gallon.

Metals Market ended the session mixed across the board today: Gold moved lower today by $0.30 to close at $668.40 an ounce; Silver moved higher today by $0.07 to close at $11.80 per ounce; Platinum moved lower today by $3.50 to close at $1,245.10 an ounce and Copper moved higher by $0.05 again today to close at $3.28 per pound.

On the Livestock and Meat Markets, the trend was mostly higher across the board today: Lean Hogs ended the day higher by 0.68 to close at 68.48; Pork Bellies ended the day with no change at 94.03; Live Cattle moved higher by 1.38 to close at 96.85 and Feeder Cattle ended the day higher by 0.75 at 117.50.

Other Commodities: Corn moved lower on the day with a loss of 2.25 at 362.00 and Soybeans moved sharply higher again today for a gain of 11.25 points to end the session at 858.25.

The e-mini Dow ended the session today at 13,265 with a loss of 14 points on the trading session. The total Dow Exchange Volume for the day came in at 151,201 which are comprised of Electronic, Open Auction and Cash Exchange. Traders should review workshops available at the CBOT (Chicago Board of Trade) Educational in-person seminars schedules available on CBOT (Chicago Board of Trade) website.

Bonds were mixed across the board today: 2 year bond moved lower by 4/32 today to close at 100 22/32; 5 year bond closed lower by 6/32 at 100 30/32; 10 year bond moved higher by 2/32 today to close at 100 27/32 and the 30 year bond moved higher by 11/32 to close at 100 30/32 for the day.

The end of day results for the CBOT (Chicago Board of Trade) which is comprised of the total Exchange Volume for Futures and Options (EVFO) including Electronic, Open Auction and Cash Exchange ended the day at 4,190,341; Open Interest for Futures moved lower by 55,364 points to close at 9,711,025; the Open Interest for Options moved higher by 87,963 points to close at 9,738,945 and the Cleared Only moved higher by 80 points to close at 7,967 for a total Open Interest on the day of 19,457,937 with a total Change on the day of a gain of 32,679 points.

On the NYSE today, advancers came in at 1,617; decliners totaled 1,601; unchanged came in at 96; new highs came in at 26 and new lows came in at 32, same as yesterday. Gainers and losers for the day as well as active day trading stocks on the NYSE: National-Oilwell Varco Incorporated (NOV) posted a gain on the trading day of 3.31 points for a final trading price of $116.79; Precision Castparts Corporation (PCP) shed 1.46 points on the day with a high on the session of $138.45, a low of $133.05 for a final trading price on the day of $134.73; Uniao de Bancos Brasileiros SA (UBB) ended on a down note with a loss of 1.94 points with a final trading price of $88.87; Union Pacific Corporation (UNP) shed 3.21 points on the day with a high on the session of $114.01, a low of $109.27 for a closing price of $109.66; VMware Incorporated (VMW) moved higher today by 3.35 points for a closing price on the session of $70.20 and Vulcan Materials Company (VMC) moved lower on the day by 1.94 points with a high on the session of $92.48, a low of $88.59 with a closing price of $88.87.

On the NASDAQ today, advanced totaled 1,210; decliners totaled 1.843; unchanged came in at 115, new highs came in at 41 and new lows came in at 73. Gainers and losers for the day as well as, active day trading stocks on the NASDAQ: Children’s Place Retail Stores Incorporated (PLCE) plummeted on the trading day by 5.27 points to give up 15.96% for a final trading price of $27.75; Flamel Technologies S.A. (FLML) moved sharply lower on the trading day to shed a heavy 24.21% for a loss of 3.07 points with a high on the day of $13.16, al low of $8.96 for a closing price on the day of $9.61 and Amerigon Incorporated (ARGN) moved lower by 1.56 points on the trading day for a closing price on the day of $17.78.

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Millennium-Traders