The weekly inventory report came in flat by most accounts.  Refinery runs were done but crude supplies still came in lower than expected.  Both gasoline and distillate stocks also fell.  Oil is trading at over 300 points higher than earlier in the week.
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Jim Sutliff

JP Morgan has raised its offer to almost $10 dollars a share for Bear Stearns.  This is mainly to overcome the obstacle of shareholder resistance to the initial bid.  It has been reported that Bear Stearns is actually worth almost $18 dollars a share.  The low bid price coupled with the assistance provided by the [...]

The U.S. economy remains weak but funds are still flowing in to Exchange Traded Funds.  Stock buybacks are more frequent with companies taking advantage of lower stock prices. 
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http://www.forbes.com/personalfinance/etfs/2008/02/11/exxon-verizon-yahoo-pf-etf-in_tt_0211trimtabs_inl.html
Jim Sutliff

Standard and Poor’s may downgrade several banks in the near future.  Goldman Sachs and Lehman Brothers are two banks that are frequently mentioned as possible downgrades.  The ratings agency downgraded Merril Lynch in October and will may downgrade Morgan Stanley within the next month. 
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http://money.cnn.com/2008/03/21/news/companies/sp_downgrade.ap/index.htm?postversion=2008032112
Jim Sutliff

The current climate has led to a call for more regulation of the Banking sector.  The recent programs by the Fed that can be viewed as bailouts are increasing public awareness.
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http://www.forbes.com/home/wallstreet/2008/03/20/banking-bernanke-frank-biz-wall-cx_lm_0320fed.html
Jim Sutliff

The inventory report from the Energy Information Administration showed a greater than expected decline in distillates as well as gasoline.  Supplies of gasoline fell 3.5 million barrels and distillates dropped 2.9 million.  Crude oil inventories rose 200,000 barrels but this was a much smaller than the 2.3 million barrel increase that was expected.  Last week, [...]

Oil drops almost $5 dollars a barrel.  Concern over the future of the economy is likely to dampen oil prices.
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Jim Sutliff

Bear Stearns will be acquired by J.P. Morgan for only $2 per share.  Bear Stearns traded as high as $70 a share last Monday.  On Friday, the market reacted to news and sent Bear Stearns tumbling $30 dollars.  Traders will be on the lookout for the next collapse as earnings reports for banks start to [...]

The president of the National Venture Capital Association (NVCA) testified before Congress and made the argument for increased Federal support.  The venture capital industry has been the focus of a great deal of attention on Capitol Hill over the last couple of years.  Most of the focus has focused on the profits of the industry.
To [...]

High oil prices make for a cartoonist dream.
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http://cagle.com/news/Oil100/
Jim Sutliff