The drop in oil prices is definitely positive for stocks. It takes some of the pressure off the markets, even if it is only for a short period of time.

Its valuation means it’s priced for perfection and perfection was not delivered this quarter.

I think the big thing is the second quarter sales and earnings being below expectations.

They continue to lose market share. Incentives didn’t seem to really help the situation here. You have to wonder if the incentives are really the right way to go.

The stock market is a forward-looking beast, and that’s why we are seeing futures dip lower even amid some very strong reports, such as the ones from financial institutions.

I don’t think he can be a merchandiser, … That’s not his training. It’s a real specialty.

Delphi is weighing on the whole automotive industry. More people want to move money out of that sector, and the situation is not going to get better any time soon.

When a company selling at this valuation and is this much of a Wall Street darling, and what we call a cult stock, misses earnings to the degree it missed here, the stock is really...

GM’s announced cut both to the dividend and to executive pay is not a big surprise. Cuts like this were important to negotiations with the unions for similar types of cuts in unionized pay structure.

Retailers are trying to push holiday sales early — before those first big heating bills.

Clearly Delphi is under pressure here, and their threat (of bankruptcy) is a real threat. Their first order of business is to try to renegotiate some of those (union) deals and terms to ensure the...

I don’t think he can be a merchandiser. That’s not his training. It’s a real specialty.

We don’t think it does (change the pace), but it raises some uncertainty and the stock has sold off in some profit taking. This is a nervous market environment.

This is a competitive market. When a company selling at this valuation and is this much of a Wall Street darling, and what we call a cult stock, misses earnings to the degree it missed...

It is an oil day. Oil is over $68 now and that, combined with a very hawkish statement from the Fed, is weighing on the market. Energy prices at the gas pump are impacting consumer...

People are already reeling from high prices at the gas pump. I think they’re going to be reeling even more from higher heating costs.

We might expect some initial weakness, but the markets have gotten used to the idea that terrorism is going to be with us for a certain amount of time, and the war on terrorism is...

Companies are beginning to warn investors that despite this quarter’s solid results, what comes ahead will not be so stellar,

[The results were] very impressive, especially given the market environment, … Clearly the trading business made the quarter, helped by Spear Leeds, which obviously distorted it a little bit.

Cuts like this were important to negotiations with the unions for similar types of cuts in unionized pay structure.

Given the spike in oil during the third quarter, I think we’re going to see higher oil costs in manufacturing companies and lower sales in consumer companies from oil squeezing out other purchases.

The focus is always on retailers on Black Friday, and early speculation is that concerns about early retail spending are overblown and that we’re going to see a reasonable holiday season.

Companies are beginning to tell the markets they are going to take a hit from both Katrina and higher oil prices. Demand for stocks in the short term may slow down.

Techs have been underperformers during the month of December, especially the second half, so I think we’re seeing some bargain hunting within technology.

If you’re a day trader and you can stomach [market volatility] on a day-to-day basis, … and want to play that momentum, stick with technology and biotechnology. If you have a little bit longer time...

Earnings and revenue were both significantly better than expected.

The tobacco lawsuit being settled — that’s obviously impacting tobacco stocks.

It certainly has worked for Wal-Mart and Target. Sears has a good chance at making a name in those businesses and capturing some share, but it’s not going to be overnight.

There are some high-profile upgrades this morning, and Exxon Mobil and Intel are certainly helping the market. Adobe earnings, the current account number coming almost in line, and the moderation in oil prices will be...

GE’s businesses are benefiting from the economic environment both domestically and internationally. But revenue did fall slightly below Wall Street’s expectations, which is a bit of a disappointment.

Technology stocks don’t tend to do well in the summer. We could see that pattern repeat itself and technology could take the summer off and continue to drift down.

A lot of the higher-margin products are doing well.

I think the market won’t react positively to it, but I think it is much ado about nothing.

There has been very much a sea change of investor opinion here. We’ve gone from a period where the Fed was simply moderating growth to a period where the Fed is trying to restrain growth...

Big positive surprise, especially in the face of the spike in oil prices in August.

It is a stock that has the potential to disappoint.

I think there is a growing perception that the next move by the Fed could actually be to ease — in other words, lower rates. Now, we’re not going to see that certainly before the...

There’s still a lot of concerns about the impact of higher interest rates and energy costs weighing on the stock market. And after the rally in stocks we’ve seen this week, investors just took a...

It was another solid quarter by GE, in line with expectations and certainly optimistic about the outlook and environment playing into GE’s strengths.

They are spending heavily to encourage future growth. They’ve got a lot of competition. Their competitive edge is their brand name and shopping experience.

The guidance to a higher number for the year just shows that the core business is extremely strong and the company is confident that it continues to strengthen for the rest of the year.

Initially, the tax rate was a negative surprise. Estimates were at 26%.

It’s basically good fundamentals, good pipeline, solid companies, … They’re defensive. They’re not impacted by the slowing economy. And these are some of the cheaper names out there.

This is essentially re-creating the old AT&T. But in this environment, the industry has been so weakened, with so many competing technologies, it’s a very, very different world now.

The Fed statement was clear about the likelihood of further rate increases. That outlook, combined with Dell’s warning, was enough to damp demand for stocks today.

All the efforts have been made to boost sales. But we aren’t seeing much evidence of it. Energy costs are high and are squeezing out other purchases.

The damage from the storm, both in terms of the physical damage and any human impact, was certainly less than expected so that should really bode well for the financial markets.

This is a company where management is still committed to spending earnings to stimulate future growth and market share. You are betting with management that their efforts are going to pay off. Is there any...

I’m definitely rooting for Detroit just because of that. You want to have any advantage you can.

It will strengthen two companies that aren’t particularly strong. The industry needs that consolidation to make them stronger against competing technologies.