An Exogeneous Week . . . Except Friday

Fridays are usually the most volatile trading day of the week, as traders try to protect themselves before the weekend when the market is closed. The most volatile Friday each month is usually the day when the "Monthly Jobs Report" is issued, which will be this Friday. That is the most closely watched economic report and can easily move markets. Because it is so volatile, traders tend to step aside as the day approaches. Therefore, I don't expect the market to be very interesting until Friday. That makes the market more vulnerable to exogeneous factors, such as war in Libya, radiation leaks in Japan, European debt issues, etc. While the consumer earnings and consumer spending reports came out this morning, showing good numbers, the futures didn't budge. The market was already expecting good numbers and was already watching for foreign events to move the market. This week, just read the front page, and wait until Friday to read the business page.