Friends

Stocks rallied nicely despite little help from oil prices or interest rates. The announcement of a deal with Russia to supply diesel to the global market did add fuel to the rally this afternoon. After yesterday’s disappointing action, the tech sector led the way higher today.

By the close, the Dow Jones Industrial Average was up 423 points to finish the day at 51,654. The S&P 500 was up 46 points to close at 7,811. The Nasdaq Composite Index was up 172 points to close at 27,366. Gold was up $65 to trade at $4,222 per ounce, while oil was down $.15 to trade at $91.34 per barrel WTI.

Remember, we will get a good read from corporate America over the next few weeks as earnings season kicks in. It is impressive that stocks are in the position they are in going into this earnings season. There were plenty of reasons for that not to be the case. We’ll let you know how it all unfolds in the coming weeks.

Have a great weekend everyone.

Jim