The Markets today (Jan 22nd)

The Markets today (Jan 22nd)

Asian markets were up but did not follow yesterday's Wallstreet strong performance (3 to 4 percent up).
European markets were slightly up between 1 and 1,5 percent.
At this moment, 14.00 GMT, Amsterdam, the futures for Wallstreet point to a loss for the S&P and the Dow Jones.
Housing Starts, Jobless Claims, Money Supply and some other Key Economic Data are due out today.
Update 18.39 GMT. Wallstreet opened with heavy losses, at this hour markets are down between 3 and 4 percent. Microsoft sank on news about cutting the workforce, and worser than expected figures, e.g. profit losses. Housing starts tumbled again and jobless claims increased.
The market is uneasy and slightly nervous not knowing what's ahead and which direction stocks will go. The November/December rally turned out to be no more than a 'bear market rally' as expected.

"Note: On this blog and on our websites we noticed people searching for a clear date, like January 23rd for instance, for a market crash.
We are not into Astrology, Bible reading, Nostradamus style predictions, Rabbit Droppings reading or other Superstitious or Paranormal things, but simply use the normal reasoning, ubiquitous information, expert opinions, and some experience combined with a gut feeling.
Thus we are very happy we cannot give an exact date for a market crash. Besides the market has already crashed in 2008, how else would you call a 40% to 50% drop?.
But we are prepared for another stockmarket crash or market free fall situation within the next 3 or 4 months. It could also be a slow crash or a slow fall testing new lows every couple of weeks, but there is a bottom in the market.
This is a very grave recession and economic downturn anyway, the whole world is slowly entering a transition mood. Confidence in politicians and authorities outside the U.S. is decreasing. Many people simply cannot accept a real recession is happening.
You can find numerous references on this blog that we do not belong to the irrational optimists, although we have plenty of faith in humanity as a whole, and are in fact very optimistic!"

Nokia profit drops 69 percent in fourth quarter
Sony forecasts first annual net loss in 14 years
Microsoft announced the cuts as it reported an 11 percent drop in second-quarter profit, which fell short of Wall Street's expectations. Microsoft shares plunged almost 11 percent in midday trading.