The durable goods made it look like the market was ready for a jump, but confidence knocked it back down. We're also in the worst of the summer doldrums. Then, Intel is also putting a damper on things. Markets tried to rally earlier, but couldn't because of Intel. The stock could probably hit its 52-week low soon.

The economic news helps, but I don't know if this is more than a short-covering rally. If there was something more substantial that could sustain us for two or three days, I would be a believer, but I just don't see anything out there.

The key here is still commodities. Oil has been above $30 a barrel for what, the last 90 days?. Commodity prices need to come down. Wholesale numbers yesterday were high because of energy, because of oil. It's a concern. It's a drag on the economy and the dollar.

The near term out of these companies is shaky. It's the forecast for higher growth in the second half that is really bringing markets higher today. People are seeing a little light at the end of the tunnel.

Stocks had a nice run and now we're seeing across-the-board profit taking, which is healthy. Reports of Cheney's comments didn't help, but we would be seeing a little selling anyway.

It's all about the Bush plan today. Any stocks that pay dividends are doing well today, particularly telecoms and utilities. But I hope that this is not a short-term solution. A range of $300 billion to $600 billion is pretty murky. We're going to have to hope that it comes in on the high end or there's going to be disappointment.

It's all Texas Instruments today. After IBM and Intel last week, we're seeing tech take two steps forward, one step back.

It's a short-covering rally, short term, typical of a bear market.

It's a surprise reversal today after the labor number this morning. The resignation of O'Neill was certainly a positive for the market. That was clearly the catalyst. The market was also getting a little oversold. And you have some good participation from tech.

There's a lot of skittishness about the Middle East, with crude prices up above $27. We're not going to see the situation get as dire as it did in the '70s, because we get oil from more sources now, but you will see prices continue to rise and markets will keep feeling the effects.