January Forecasting

Good morning. We start a brand new trading year this morning and premarket futures indicate we're going to see a positive start.

Strength in overseas markets, higher crude prices, and disappointing same-store sales by Wal-Mart (WMT) are the key focus headlines. Investors are also eagerly awaiting the release of the minutes from the Fed's last meeting as they look for any sign that the interest rate increases are coming to an end.

As typical with every January, the crystal ball gurus are out in full force today armed with their usual January statistics. If you're like me, for good or for ill you are going to grow tired of hearing predictions that "how January goes, so does the market." While I'll share a few of these stats with you later today because they're just fun to share, I personally don't pay much attention to them in so far as my own strategy when evaluating the market and opportunities I see. Based on my conversations with others, I'm not alone in that view.

I'll be looking for a couple of small trades this morning in order to dip my toes back in. Premarket movers of interest include ALTH, RMBS, GTE, SUF, LOJN, TRID, GOOG, VIMC, SIRI, SGP, TEVA, SIMG, DCX, BSML, NGRU, CAMT, SNDA, ENER, CKCM, and PTIE.

Have a great week!