Bullish Blog

Reuters - The S&P 500 ended its best five-month streak since 1938 with a slight gain on Friday as government data showed softness in consumer spending but reinforced expectations that the economic slump is abating.

AP - Asian stock markets closed out a robust July with more gains Friday as better-than-expected earnings at companies from Japan to the U.S. reinforced hopes of stronger global growth. European markets were weaker in early trade.

Investors, if you think US fortunes continue to drive the world economy, keep your money out of this market. But if you expect Asia and South America to lead the recovery, jump in now.

AP - Citigroup Inc., one of the biggest recipients of government bailout money, gave employees $5.33 billion in bonuses for 2008, New York’s attorney general said Thursday in a report detailing the payouts by nine big banks.

Investor’s Business Daily - Investors pumped $12 billion into stock funds in June. Bond funds pulled in $29.09 billion.

AP - The stock market is a day away from locking in its best July in 20 years. Stocks added to an already impressive run Thursday as another round of earnings reports gave investors new reasons to be optimistic about the economy. The latest reports struck a theme that has played out for weeks: Times are tough but companies aren’t doing as badly as feared. Many have chopped costs to produce profits well beyond the market’s modest expectations.

AP - How far the Dow Jones industrial average has fallen or advanced each trading day since Lehman Brothers Holdings Inc. filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection on Sept. 15. Since Lehman’s fall, which touched off a paralysis of the credit markets and deepened the recession, the stock market has gone through an extended period of volatility before kicking into a big rally starting this spring. The numbers are the closing levels for the Dow:

AP - Citigroup Inc., one of the biggest recipients of government bailout money, gave employees $5.33 billion in bonuses for 2008, New York’s attorney general said Thursday in a report detailing the payouts by nine big banks.

Reuters - Aggressive cost cutting helped NYSE Euronext beat expectations for a second straight quarter on Thursday, although $442 million in one-time charges forced the transatlantic exchange operator to record a loss.

Reuters - Stocks rose on Thursday as solid corporate profit reports and a drop in the number of Americans on jobless benefits gave investors reasons to buy equities following the S&P 500’s two days of losses.