THE MARKETS:  The roller coaster was moving up this past week.  The Dow Jones Industrial Average was up 4.25% (down 3.13% for the year) and the S&P 500 was up 4.31%  (down 5.31% for the year)  [Past performance does not guarantee future results.]  Some of the upward movement was driven by positive earnings reports from, among others, Caterpillar, Intel, IBM, Google and Honeywell.  Each exceeded expectations.  On the other hand, Citigroup and Merrill Lynch reported massive write downs on their housing-related debt and other debt instruments.  Both companies saw their share prices increase.  The U.S. dollar slid again and commodity prices increased.

John Thomas - Certified Mortgage Planner - www.DelawareMortgageLoans.net